Six Years Later
by ilovesos9467
Summary: When Dimitri enters a business partnership with Abe Mazur, he meets Abe's 5 year old granddaughter, who just happens to look exactly like the girl he had a one night stand with 6 years prior. Could the one night stand that he never forgot be coming back to haunt him?
1. Chapter 1

**This is a new story that I have been thinking about. Please let me know what you think. This is an ALL HUMAN story.**

**_Enjoy!_**

I walked into Abe's office to finalize the partnership paperwork. After today, I could officially call the notorious Abe Mazur my business partner. Since I was a child, I knew that I wanted to work in business. For many years, I've looked up to Abe. It was my dream to be able to work for him, yet now, he was going to be my partner in business.

It was better than a dream come true. My life was nearly perfect. I say nearly perfect, because my love life is nonexistent. Most of the time, I curse myself for the night that ruined every relationship I've had since then. The night that I had a one night stand with the most _perfect_ woman I've ever met.

_Adrian and Ivan had convinced me to go to this party to celebrate the end of another semester in college. I wasn't too keen on celebrating, seeing as earlier that day, I caught my girlfriend of 3 years, Tasha, cheating on me. I had planned on proposing on our anniversary next week, but that's out of the question now. _

_Nevertheless, I didn't mind the alcohol at the party. I needed to numb the pain from my break up, and alcohol seemed like the best way to do it. I drank, even though the alcohol barely affected me. I was used to Russian Vodka, not this cheap American liquor that barely gave me a buzz. After a while, I started to mingle. _

_One girl caught my interest. _

_She had long, dark brown, almost black, slightly curly hair that cascaded to the middle of her back and looked to be as soft as silk. She was wearing a red dress that went to her mid thighs. The front had a sweetheart neckline and the fabric dipped down past her hair in the back. It hugged her every curve like a dream. Her skin was smooth and tan; it was a natural tan, unlike a lot of girls I've known who preferred tanning inside. She looked like an exotic desert princess. When she looked at me, her light brown eyes sunk me into a trance. I wanted -no, _needed_\- to get to know this girl._

_Eventually, I worked up the courage to talk to her. She was slightly intoxicated, but not so much that she couldn't handle herself. I wanted to talk to her to see if she would be interested in getting to know me, the right way, not just in the bedroom. Well, she wanted me in the bedroom, and nothing more. _

_However much I wanted to get to know her as a person, I couldn't deny her request to get to know her body. We ended up back at my place. _

_Her body fit perfectly against mine in every position we tried, and believe me when I say we tried every position I could think of. She was a goddess, especially in the bedroom. _

_When I woke up the next morning, she was gone. It was easily the best night of my life, followed by the worst morning of my life. I wish she had stayed. _

_I moped around for a few days after that, my mind never leaving her or the night we spent together. What did she do to me? Why can't I stop thinking about her? Right then, I decided that I was going to search for her, but where to start? The only thing I really knew about her was her first name: _Rose_._

It's not like I haven't tried dating over the last 6 years, because I have. It's just that no one makes me happy. No one compares to the desert princess goddess that captures every spare thought, whether it be conscious or unconscious.

Sometimes I convince myself that I made her up, but then I look at the one picture I have of her from that night. She had wanted me to take a picture of us together before we left the party, so we took one on both my phone and hers. I tormented myself with the thought that she forgot about me, that she deleted that picture of us the next morning.

_How did I end up like this? How did I end up in love with the girl that I had a one night stand with 6 years ago?_

The meeting with Abe lasted only about an hour, because he said he has plans to meet his family for lunch. Lucky him. About 10 minutes before the meeting ended, a little girl busted through the double doors and ran up to Abe.

"Grandpa!"

I froze. That voice. It sounded exactly like _hers_, except more childlike. Could it be possible? Could this little girl be related to my Roza? That's when I decided to get a better look at the child. She had long, unruly hair that was dark brown, almost black even. She turned around and looked at me.

I think my heart stopped momentarily. She looked exactly like her, all the way down to those beautiful light brown eyes. Her little voice broke me out of the trance I had fallen into.

"Grandpa, who is that?"

"Julia, sweetheart, this is grandpa's new business partner. Go say hi to Mr. Belikov."

"Hello Mr. Belikov. My name is Julia Ceren Mazur."

Before I had a chance to reply, a new voice spoke up. A voice that made my heart beat increase tenfold.

"Julia, do you have to tell everyone your full name every time you introduce yourself? Not everyone wants-"

She stopped mid sentence when I turned around to face her. She was as beautiful as the day I had met her six years ago, except my memories hadn't done her quite the justice she deserved. After six long years, I had finally found her. I realized the room was silent so I spoke.

"Hello, Rose."

"You've met my daughter?" Abe questioned.

Rose held my gaze, but I answered him as casually as I could.

"Several years ago, we met just once. However, I didn't know she was the daughter of the man that I had looked up to, and eventually became partners with."

"Dimitri?" It was a whisper on her lips, but it sent shivers down my spine.

"Yes?"

She broke our gaze, and directed her attention to her father, my business partner.

"Daddy, do you mind if I miss lunch today? You can still take Julia, but I'd like to talk to Dim- Mr. Belikov. I haven't seen him in years, and it'd be nice to catch up." She gave him a pointed look as she spoke to him.

"That's fine, Kiz. Will you be home for dinner?"

"Yes, I should be. I'll call you in a bit."

My mind was whirling in circles. Abe, my business partner, was the father of the girl that I had fallen desperately in love with after a one night stand. Holy shit._ I slept with my business partner's daughter._ That's not gonna go over very well if he ever finds out. She has a daughter, a beautiful little girl that looks just like her. A daughter that I would have loved to give her, but I guess I'm too late.

I must have zoned out because once I focused my attention back at Rose, we were the only two people in the room. I spoke.

"So you remember me? After 6 years?"

"Well, you kind of left an impression." She said, blushing.

That stunned me. "I..uhm..so did you."

Her eyes widened in shock. I spoke again trying to hide the nervousness I was definitely feeling.

"So..uhm.. do you wanna go to lunch or something? This isn't really a conversation I want to have in your father's office."

"Yeah, you're right. Let's go. I know a good restaurant down the road where we can talk."

We walked together out of Abe's office, heading towards the restaurant while a comfortable silence fell around us. She broke the silence.

"Do you ever think about that night?"

_Every day_. "Sometimes. You?"

She was blushing again, and she took her time to answer.

"Sometimes."

Again there was silence, except this time, it was not so comfortable. It was awkward. I tried for conversation again.

"So, Julia is your daughter?"

"Uhm yeah. She's 5 now."

"She's adorable."

Silence fell again as we made it to the restaurant. We sat at the table and ordered our food. Despite it being lunch time, the nice little restaurant was practically empty aside from the staff. Rose started up the conversation this time.

"So, is there anyone that I might have to worry about getting jealous that we are having lunch together? I don't want to step on any toes..." She trailed off.

"You mean like a girlfriend? No. I haven't dated anyone in a while. What about you? Are you with Julia's father?" I tried to keep my voice casual. I know that's probably too personal to ask right now, but I needed to know.

"No. He- he doesn't even know about her. I kind of ran out on him. I didn't know I was pregnant then. When I found out I was pregnant, I had no way to contact him." She paused for a moment, then continued. "And no, I'm not dating anyone."

I was speechless. I didn't know what to say. It was almost comforting knowing that she ran out on someone other than me in the past, and judging by Julia's age, it was not too far off from the time she ran out on me. Maybe she just had commitment issues. Then again, maybe I was just another one night stand.

That thought made me upset. Is it possible that the one night that changed my life, the one night I spent with this woman could have meant almost _nothing_ to her other than good sex? Did she even think I was good in bed?

_What am I saying?_ We slept together multiple times that night. _But she left before I woke up_. She said she has thought about that night, though. _What if she regrets it?_

She pulled me out of my train of thoughts when she spoke again, almost mirroring my thoughts.

"Do you regret it?"

"What?"

"Do you regret it? That night. With me?"

"No. Absolutely not."

Shock covered her features. "Really?"

"Really. To be perfectly honest, it was one of the best nights of my life."

Shit, shit, shit! _Did I really just say that?_ I just found her, I can't believe I'm going to scare her off already!

"Mine too," she mumbled.

I stared at her, wide eyed, unsure of what to say. Did she really say that?

"Yours too? Then..then why did you leave that morning?"

Her head dropped as if she was embarrassed. I barely heard the next thing she said because she was whispering.

"I regret leaving you that morning."

"Roza" I got closer to her and gently touched her face. Slowly, she raised her head and looked at me. There were tears sliding down her cheeks. I used my thumb to wipe them away. "Roza, I'm here now, and as long as you want me to be, I'll stay here."

"Are you sure? I mean, I'd love for you to stay, but we only spent one night together. _Six years ago_. And I ran the next morning."

"I looked for you." I admitted sheepishly. "I felt this connection to you that night, one that I've never felt before. I couldn't let you just walk away without at least trying to find you."

"Dimitri-"

She was cut off by her phone ringing.

"I'm sorry, Dimitri, I have to take this. It's my dad."

_Great. Just great._


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer : I do not own VA or any of the characters! Well, Julia is mine, but that's it so far! All of the other characters belong to Richelle Mead!**

**Enjoy! **

**Rose's POV**

_I woke up feeling nauseous. It was the third time this week that I have woken feeling this way. My roommate and best friend, Lissa, convinced me to make a doctor's appointment to find out what was wrong. My appointment was today. I looked at the alarm clock on my nightstand, realizing that I only had a few hours until I had to be at the doctor's office. _

_As soon as I pulled myself out of bed, I had to rush to the bathroom to empty the contents of my stomach. After I finished retching, I got up and brushed my teeth before heading across the hall to wake up Lissa. She promised she would go with me to my appointment. _

_We both got ready, and had breakfast before heading out the front door. It was a short drive to the doctor's office, and we were 15 minutes early. After filling out some paperwork and waiting for what seemed like forever, I was finally called to the back._

_The doctor was an older female, and she introduced herself as Dr. Olendzki. After I explained my symptoms to her, she handed me a box and left the room, promising to be back in a few minutes._

_I stared down at the box; it was a pregnancy test. Before letting myself think about it, I walked into the little bathroom and peed on the stick. After I sat the test on the counter, I let my thoughts run wild since Lissa was still in the waiting room. _

_Could I be pregnant? I thought about my period and realized I was almost a week late. Then I thought back to that night; the only night that I could have gotten pregnant. The night that I gave my virginity to the perfect stranger. Dimitri. _

_I had went to a party with Lissa and Mia because I was pissed at my ex, Adrian. We had broken up the week prior to the party because he kept trying to push me into sex, which I had told him that I wasn't ready for. He had called me in his drunken rage right before the party to call me a slut. I guess I showed him, huh?_

_Dr. Olendzki walked back into the room just as it was time to check the results of the pregnancy test. I asked her to look for me because I was nervous. She looked at the test and spoke._

_"Congratulations, Rose, you are indeed pregnant."_

I was pulled out of my thoughts when my daughter, Julia, started tugging on my arm and started frantically screaming at me.

"Come on, Momma! We are gonna be late to lunch with grandpa!"

"Okay, baby, I'm coming. Go get in the car while I grab my keys."

Ten minutes later, Julia busted into Abe's office before I had a chance to catch up to her. Once I got to the door, I heard her introducing herself to someone, using her full name. I began to chastise her when the man in front of my father turned around to look at me. My words stopped coming out mid sentence as I realized who was in front of me.

It was my perfect stranger, Dimitri. The man who I ran out on six years ago after I gave him my virginity. The man who fathered my beautiful daughter. He broke through my thoughts when he spoke to me.

"Hello, Rose."

"You've met my daughter?" My father asked, clearly confused.

Dimitri answered him, his voice sounding casual. "Several years ago, we met just once. However, I didn't know she was the daughter of the man that I had looked up to, and eventually became partners with."

I finally made my voice work, but all I could get out was his name. It came out a whisper.

"Dimitri?"

"Yes?" He replied.

I broke our gaze and looked towards Abe.

"Daddy, do you mind if I miss lunch today? You can still take Julia, but I'd like to talk to Dim- Mr. Belikov. I haven't seen him in years, and it'd be nice to catch up."

"That's fine, Kiz. Will you be home for dinner?"

"Yes, I should be. I'll call you in a bit."

I held all of my emotions and all of the questioning thoughts shoved into the back of my mind for the time being. I waited for everyone except Dimitri and I to leave before I turned my attention back to him. That's when he spoke.

"So you remember me? After 6 years?"

"Well, you kind of left an impression." I blushed, thinking of how he was my very first and how he was Julia's father.

He looked surprised at my admission. "I..uhm..so did you."

This time, I was shocked. Did I really leave an impression on him? He didn't let me wonder for long before he spoke.

"So..uhm.. do you wanna go to lunch or something? This isn't really a conversation I want to have in your father's office."

"Yeah, you're right. Let's go. I know a good restaurant down the road where we can talk."

We left my father's office and I let myself fall into my thoughts. Before I realized it, one of the questions running through my mind slipped out of my mouth.

"Do you ever think about that night?"

"Sometimes. You?"

I was blushing, and I figured I was probably as red as a ripe tomato. So I decided to be somewhat honest.

"Sometimes."

In truth, I thought about that night all the time. I wish I could go back so I could stay the next morning instead of running out. I'll admit, I was kind of freaked out. I didn't know what else to do besides run out. Dimitri broke me free from my thoughts once again when he spoke.

"So, Julia is your daughter?"

"Uhm yeah. She's 5 now."

"She's adorable."

His admission made me happy. He thought _our_ daughter was adorable. Would he still think that if he knew the truth about her parentage? Should I tell him? Yes. I decided I should tell him, but how? We finally arrived at the restaurant, got a table, and ordered our food. I started wondering if he was single, and quickly decided to voice my awkward question.

"So, is there anyone that I might have to worry about getting jealous that we are having lunch together? I don't want to step on any toes..." I tried to keep my voice even and sound casual.

"You mean like a girlfriend? No. I haven't dated anyone in a while. What about you? Are you with Julia's father?"

Oh, hell. How was I going to explain this?

"No. He- he doesn't even know about her. I kind of ran out on him. I didn't know I was pregnant then. When I found out I was pregnant, I had no way to contact him." I paused briefly to think back to when I found out I was pregnant. "And no, I'm not dating anyone."

His face seemed to be thoughtful after that, so I fell back into my thoughts as we ate in silence for a while. Suddenly, I wondered if he regretted the night we spent together. I asked him before I could chicken out.

"Do you regret it?"

"What?"

"Do you regret it? That night. With me?"

"No. Absolutely not."

Again, his answer completely shocked me. "Really?"

"Really. To be perfectly honest, it was one of the best nights of my life."

Is he serious? Does he really feel the same way that I do?

"Mine too," I mumbled, almost hoping he didn't hear me.

He stared at me for what seemed like forever before he finally spoke.

"Yours too? Then why did you leave that morning?"

Of all the things he could have asked, that question shocked me the most. I dropped my head in embarrassment and shame.

"I regret leaving you that morning."

When he spoke, his voice was soft and full of concern and what sounded like admiration.

"Roza" He said as he got closer to me. He pulled my face up to meet his gaze. I didn't realize I had started crying until he wiped away a tear from my cheek. Why did he have this effect on me?

"Roza, I'm here now, and as long as you want me to be, I'll stay here."

I'm not sure how I felt. It was like a mixture of disbelief, excitement and awe. Why would he do that for me?

"Are you sure? I mean, I'd love for you to stay, but we only spent one night together. Six years ago. And I ran the next morning."

His response came a few minutes later, adding surprise to my bundle of crazy emotions.

"I looked for you." He admitted. "I felt this connection to you that night, one that I've never felt before. I couldn't let you just walk away without at least trying to find you."

"Dimitri-" I started, but was cut off by my phone ringing. I glanced at the caller ID.

"I'm sorry, Dimitri, I have to take this. It's my dad."

I got up and walked away, answering my phone.

"Hello."

"Hello, kiz. I was just checking in on you and Mr. Belikov. How is everything?"

Abe knows about the circumstances by which Julia was conceived, but he was never given any names. Although sometimes I think the only reason he never figured it out was because I didn't even know Dimitri's full name.

My father is a very resourceful man that can get his hands on any information he wants or needs. He is also a man that it is nearly impossible to say no to unless you are, well, me.

When I told my dad that I was pregnant, he insisted on tracking down Julia's father, but I wouldn't give out any names, not even to Lissa. I wanted to find him, but I wanted to do it without Abe getting in the way or helping me. I never had any luck though.

Something in the tone of my father's voice made me think that he knew exactly who Dimitri was to me, but I couldn't be sure, so I wasn't about to mention it.

"Everything is fine, Baba. Stop worrying about me, okay?"

"I will always worry, Kiz. You are too much like me for me to ever stop worrying."

We both laughed at this.

"Well thanks, old man."

His tone shifted when he spoke again.

"We are going to have a long talk when you get home tonight. Could you see if Lissa will watch Julia for a while tonight?"

It was his business tone. He has only ever used it with me on a few occasions. That tone meant there was to be no argument, almost like a direct order. I let my tone mirror his.

"Yes sir."

With that, we said our goodbyes in a softer tone, and I returned to lunch with Dimitri. I didn't want to bring up the subject from earlier for fear that he'd change his mind. We finished lunch with very little chatting, but we did exchange phone numbers before parting this time.

I left the restaurant and walked the short ways back to my car. Once I was in my car, I called Lissa. She answered on the first ring.

"Hey, Rose! How was lunch with Abe?"

"Uhm. I didn't go. Can I drop by? I need a favor and I need to talk to you."

"Sure. Just let yourself in."

We said our goodbyes and about 20 minutes later, I let myself into her apartment. I shouted her name trying to figure out where she was hiding.

"I'm in the couch in the living room!"

I made my way over to her, trying to keep my emotions from taking over. It took me a while to speak and Lissa seemed to be okay with giving me as much time as I needed.

"He's back, Lissa. After 6 years, he just shows up."

"Who? Oh! You mean? Really!? Your perfect stranger? Julia's father?!" Her face was full of shock and disbelief. I almost didn't want to believe it either. Like Abe, Lissa knows everything except his name. Actually, Lissa probably knows more. Being my best friend, she was the one who comforted me the next morning and she got all the juicy details.

"Yeah, he's back, Lissa. And you will NEVER guess who he is."

"Of course not! You wouldn't even tell me his name!"

"I was afraid my father would somehow find out if I ever let his name slip up, and you know my dad. He isn't exactly kind to those who mess with his only child."

"I know, Rose. So who is he? Is he still hot?"

"His name is Dimitri, and he is my father's new business partner."

I think I broke my best friend. She was utterly speechless. Her face was frozen in a mask of shock and possibly horror. I decided to get everything out right now, so I kept talking.

"I think my dad figured out who he is. When I walked into his office with Julia, I kind of froze up. Then we said awkward hellos and I went to lunch with Dimitri instead of Abe. Then Abe called during lunch and wanted me to ask you if you'd watch Julia tonight because he wanted to have a talk with me."

That finally seemed to snap her out of her speechlessness.

"Well, of course I will watch her tonight but what happened during lunch with Dimitri?"

"Well, we talked about that night and he asked if I was with Julia's father. Shortly after, Abe called. That kind of ruined that conversation, but we exchanged phone numbers this time."

"I'm excited for you! Maybe you will get that second chance that you have always wanted. Oh, and good luck with Abe. I'll help any way that I can."

"Thanks, Lissa. You always make me feel better."

I called Abe to let him know that Lissa would watch Julia while we talked, then I spent a few much needed hours with my best friend. Abe showed up a while later to drop off Julia.

"Mommy! I missed you at lunch!"

"Awe Jay, I missed you too. You're gonna stay with Auntie Lissa for a few hours, is that okay?"

"But Mommy, I wanna go with you!"

"I'll be back to get you in a few hours baby girl, just please be good for Auntie Lissa for me."

"Okay, Mommy. I love you."

"Love you too, Jay. I'll be back in a bit."

I gave my baby girl a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek before I headed out the door to have a long conversation with my father.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer : I do not own VA or any of the characters! (except Julia)**

**Please review! I know it's a short chapter, but I'll update soon! I promise!**

**Enjoy! **

**Rose POV **

Abe decided that we should go out to eat and have our little 'talk' as opposed to going back to the house. Maybe he figured neutral and public territory would prevent any outburst, from either of us.

Dinner started out with light conversation, but halfway through, Abe brought up the question that I knew he was I knew was burning in his mind.

"How exactly do you know Belikov?"

The look in his eyes told me that he knew the answer, but he wanted to hear me say it.

"We met at a party 6 years ago."

"Would this be the same party that resulted in my wonderful granddaughter?"

I couldn't look at him. He knew my biggest secret: Dimitri Belikov, his new business partner, is Julia's father. I used my fork to play with the food on my plate, prolonging answering him.

"Kiz, answer me." Abe said in his business voice.

"Yes." I mumbled, still looking down at my food.

"Does he know?"

My head shot up and our eyes met. "NO!"

His gaze seemed to bare into my soul as he spoke again.

"And why not?"

"I can't tell him yet, Baba. What if he runs?" I felt myself blushing and fighting back tears at the thought.

"Rose, he won't get very far. He's my business partner now. He's going to be around whether he likes it or not."

"I want a second chance though. You know that I regret leaving without saying a word to him after that night."

"Rose, he needs to know that Julia is his daughter. Don't wait too long to tell him. It's not fair to him."

Of course Abe would feel that way. I didn't meet my father until I turned 16 because my mother told him not to come around. Even then, she only allowed him to come around because I threatened to run away if she didn't let me meet him. I wanted to judge him for myself. It turned out that my father is loaded and my mother was afraid that I'd turn out to be a spoiled brat if he decided to spend money on me. I didn't understand, and I still don't.

No matter what I think, Abe is right. It's not fair to either Dimitri or Julia to keep it from them. I guess I have to tell him.

"I know, Baba. I just need some time to work it out. Today was the first time that I've seen him in six years. I can't just pop up and say 'hey, we slept together at after a party once and now you have a kid.' That's not fair either."

"I suppose you're right. Even your mother informed me that she was pregnant. She just decided it was best not to bring you up in my lifestyle, so she kept you away from me."

"Well, if Dimitri wants to be a part of Julia's life, I won't keep him away. It's the telling him that's going to be the hard part. If I hadn't run out on him that morning, things might would be different."

"But you did, and we can't change the past. Now we just have to take what we can and make the best of it."

"Thanks, Baba."

We reverted back to light conversation as we finished our supper. As we walked out towards the car, my phone chimed. I checked the message.

_Would you like to go to out to eat with me tomorrow? Breakfast, lunch, or dinner. You decide. -Dimitri B._

I quickly replied as I got in the car with Abe. He was driving, so I was free to text.

_I'd love to. We have to talk. I'm not sure you are gonna believe or like what I have to say. -Rose_

A few minutes later, my phone chimed again.

_That's not very reassuring. Should we meet up and talk tonight? -Dimitri _

I pondered the idea for a moment. I have no idea how I'm going to tell him, but Abe was right, he needs to know. Abe spoke up right then, as though he knew what I was thinking.

"Who are you texting, Kiz?"

"Dimitri. He asked me out to eat tomorrow. I told him that we needed to talk. He wants to meet tonight. Should I meet him tonight or wait until tomorrow?"

He was quiet for a moment, but then replied.

"If you think you might chicken out tomorrow, then maybe you should tell him tonight. Do you want me to come with you to tell him?"

"No. That's alright. It's going to be awkward enough without you being there."

I looked back down at my phone and typed out my next message.

_We can meet tonight if you want. Lissa has Julia so you can drop by my place. -Rose_

We texted a bit longer while I gave him my address and we agreed on a time. Abe dropped me off at home and left me to get ready for a visit from my daughter's father.

An hour later, there was a knock at my door. I opened the door to reveal my perfect stranger, Dimitri. He was holding a box of my favorite chocolates and a dozen roses. He spoke before I had the chance.

"Hello, Roza."


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own VA or any of the characters (except Julia)!**

**Enjoy!**

**Dimitri POV**

I texted Rose to find out whether she wanted to go out to eat with me sometime tomorrow, and she agreed with the exception that we had to talk. The way she said it had me kind of worried. Could she have decided that she didn't want to see me again? I really hope not. I spent 6 years pining over this woman, not knowing whether I'd ever see her again. Maybe she thinks I am pathetic. Hell, I think I am pathetic. My best friends, Adrian and Ivan, are the only ones who know just how hung up I am on that night with Rose.

I haven't seen either of them in over a week since I have been busy setting up my new partnership, so they don't know that I finally found her. I decided to give Ivan a call. He answered quickly and informed me that he was with Adrian. He put me on speaker when I mentioned that I had news to tell them both.

Ivan: "So, what's the news that has you calling and interrupting game night?"

Adrian: "Is it about the new partnership?"

Me: "Yes and No. Remember Rose?"

Ivan: "Man, there is no way we could forget her. You've only been hung up on that one night stand for ever now."

Adrian: "What about her? And what does she have to do with your partnership?"

Me: "Rose is my new partner's daughter."

The line was silent for a minute as my words sunk in before both Adrian and Ivan shouted over the phone.

Adrian: "You slept with your partner's daughter?!"

Ivan: "Are you serious?"

Me: "I'm dead serious. We actually went out to lunch today, and I'm going over to her place in a bit to talk. Wish me luck, because I have no idea what she wants to talk to me about."

Ivan: "Good luck, man. Maybe she won't run out on you this time."

Adrian laughed in the background, and I rolled my eyes.

Me: "Hopefully not. I have to go. I've got to get ready to head to her place."

We said our goodbyes, and I hung up so that I could get ready. As I was getting ready, I decided that I wanted to give Rose a small present. The problem was that I didn't know what to get her. Who could I call to ask advice? Ivan and Adrian wouldn't be any help. They were both players, and had no idea how to actually court a woman. That's when I had a stroke of genius. Well, I hoped it was a stroke of genius instead of a stroke of stupidity. I called my new business partner, Abe, who just happened to be Rose's father. He answered as quickly as Ivan had.

"Mazur speaking."

"Mazur, its Belikov. I have a question to ask you. It's about Rose."

He seemed hesitant to continue the conversation.

"What do you want to know?"

"Well, first, I guess I should ask what you know about how Rose and I met." He was quiet, so I started talking again. "Honestly, sir, I'd like to get to know her more seeing as the opportunity to do so was not really present in the past. I-"

He cut me off. "I know more about the night that you met my daughter that I am willing to speak to you about without my daughter's permission. If I am not mistaken, shouldn't you be getting ready to go meet her as we speak?"

"Yes, sir. I guess I was calling for permission to court your daughter, and to find out what kind of chocolates are her favorite." I sighed, hoping he would be okay with me trying to date his daughter. Our partnership is still new, and I'm sure that if he wanted out of the deal, he could get out of it.

"Belikov, maybe you deserve more credit than I am giving you. If you are brave enough to call and ask for my permission, and smart enough to ask about her favorite chocolate, then who am I to keep it from you? You have my permission, but it's Rose who has the ultimate decision on whether you will be able to court her or not. I will tell you this, though: if you hurt my daughter or her daughter, I will make sure that you disappear, and will never be found again. Do you understand?"

"I wouldn't expect anything less."

He finally told me her favorite kind of chocolate, and where I could get it. We said our goodbyes after Abe issued a few more threats to my life if I hurt Rose or Julia. As I made it across town to get Rose's favorite chocolate, I found myself thinking about Rose's daughter, Julia. Julia really did look a lot like Rose, but if my memory served me right, some of her features were a bit different. Julia's skin tone was a tad darker, her smile was a bit different, and she seemed taller than you would expect a normal 5 year old to be.

I found myself wondering who Julia's father was, and whether he would ever come back into the picture. The thought instantly made me angry and jealous. What is Rose and I got together, but Julia's father came back into the picture? Would Rose leave me to try to make it work with him, for Julia's sake? I felt protective of Julia as though she were my own daughter instead of the daughter of some faceless stranger in Rose's past. I made the decision right then that if Rose allowed me to be in her life, I would happily take Julia as my own daughter. I smiled at the thought of Julia calling me daddy.

I made it to the store in record time, and located the chocolates that I was going to get for Rose. As I walked toward the checkout lane, I spotted a cart full of flowers. I immediately walked over and picked a dozen roses. I paid for the gifts, and headed to the address that Rose had given me.

I walked up and knocked on the door before I had a chance to get too nervous and walk away. She opened the door after a moment, and I drunk in the sight of her. She was wearing a dark red dress that had a sweetheart neckline, and that traveled down to her knees. She was absolutely stunning.

"Hello, Roza."

"Hey, Dimitri, please, come in."

I stepped inside and she shut the door. We walked into the living room, and Rose took the chocolates and roses from me. She spoke.

"Did you know that these are my favorite chocolates?"

"I called your father, and he told me after he threatened my life a few times." I admitted sheepishly.

She laughed. "Yeah, that should like my old man. Threatening anyone that resembles anything close to a love interest of mine. Don't worry, he won't hurt you too bad."

"I'm not scared of your father. I admire and respect him, but I do not fear him."

"Well, you are the first. Thank you for the chocolate and roses, by the way."

Rose put her roses in a vase and opened up the chocolates, taking one to eat. I was nervous now, remembering that Rose wanted to talk to me about something that seemed pretty serious.

"Uhm..Rose, what did you want to talk to me about?"

Now, she seemed nervous. I spoke again.

"Roza, just tell me."

"Well, you know my daughter, Julia, right?"

"Yes, I met her earlier today. What about her?" Was she going to send me away because of her daughter?

"Well...you see..."

"What is it Roza?"

"Well, she is your daughter too."


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello to all my lovely readers out there! before writing this chapter, I went back and read the previous chapters and I noticed something that I messed up on. (I'm definitely not perfect! )**

**When I was reading, I noticed that I have Adrian set as one of Dimitri's best friends as well as Rose's ex. To have the story go on as planned, this won't work. So, Rose's ex will no longer be Adrian, it will be Jesse. Cliché, I know but I'm having issues with writer's block right now. **

**Anyway, please review! And as always, Enjoy! **

**Rose POV**

I was awaken by Julia jumping on my bed, begging me to get up. I glanced over at the clock and realized that I had overslept. Julia stopped jumping on the bed and started dragging the covers off of me.

"Mommy, get up! I wanna go see grandma and grandpa today!"

Julia is starting Kindergarten tomorrow (Monday), so I had promised her that she could spend all day today with my parents. After I met my father when I was 16, my parents ended up getting back together. Neither one of my parents took the news of my pregnancy well, but when Julia was born, they both fell in love with her. Sometimes I think that they love my daughter more than they love me.

I finally got up out of bed so that I could get Julia and myself ready to go to my parents house. I would just be dropping her off because I'm spending the day getting to know Dimitri. I told him a few days ago that Julia was his daughter, but I have yet to introduce him to Julia as her father. While Julia and I got ready, the night that I told Dimitri that he was Julia's father flickered through my mind.

_**flashback**_

_Dimitri showed up at my house with a dozen roses and my favorite chocolates after I told him that we needed to talk. He told me that he had braved the wrath of my father to find out what my favorite chocolates were. After I put the flowers in a vase and ate one of the chocolates, he jumped into what started off as the most awkward conversation of my life._

_"Uhm..Rose, what did you want to talk to me about?" Dimitri asked._

_I was instantly nervous. I wasn't ready to tell him about Julia, but I knew that I needed to before he got in too deep with me. He spoke again before I could._

_"Roza, just tell me."_

_"Well, you know my daughter, Julia, right?" I started. Might as well get this over with._

_"Yes, I met her earlier today. What about her?" Dimitri said. Whatever he was feeling, he was hiding it. His face was void of all emotion. _

_"Well...you see..." I began, but couldn't finish. _

_"What is it Roza?" He asked._

_"Well, she is your daughter too." I blurted out. _

_He froze. His face was still an emotionless mask. Oh God, he probably hates me now. He was still staring at me when my head fell into my hands. Why did I have to tell him? After what felt like hours, he finally spoke. His voice was a whisper. _

_"Julia...is...mine?" _

_I looked up at him and nodded. He still hasn't moved. His face still showed no emotion. I felt a tear escape and slide down my cheek. _

_"Please-"_

_My plea to have him say something was abruptly cut off when his lips crashed into mine. My mind went blank and the only thing I could do was respond to his kiss. It was like the night that we met all over again. He pulled my body into his and we continued to kiss. Every emotion that I was feeling was poured into that kiss. All too soon, he pulled away. I met his gaze and he smiled. _

_Silence surrounded us because I couldn't make myself talk. My mind kept replaying his reaction: he kissed me after I told him that Julia was his daughter. Did that mean he was happy about it? Does-_

_"I'm sorry, Roza. I didn't mean to kiss you like that. You just made me so happy. I just-I've always wanted a family of my own." The biggest smile I've ever seen was plastered across his face. I didn't know what to say. He wanted his daughter. Our daughter. I was estatic. Well, I was until I remembered that I didn't know how Julia would take to her father. _

_"I - I haven't told her yet. She doesn't know anything about you. Hell, I don't know very much about you, yet."_

_"What do you want to do? I want to be a part of your lives, but I will do this however you want to do this." He seemed so genuine that I couldn't help but smile._

_"Well, Comrade, even if you wanted to run, I'm not sure how far you'd get. My father knows who you are, and you kind of work with him now."_

_He laughed. His laugh was beautiful, like silk and honey. I could listen to it all day. _

_"You're right. I wouldn't get very far with Abe on my tail. Now his threats make a lot more sense though."_

_This time, I laughed. _

_"How about we take things slow, at least with you and me. This time, we won't just jump into bed, and I won't run for the hills the next morning." I felt shameful again as I made the joke. He must have noticed my mood shift, because when he spoke again, his voice was full of concern._

_"So, why did you run last time?" _

_My head dropped again, and I mumbled my response. _

_"I freaked out because I gave my virginity to a stranger. I couldn't face you the next morning, so I left."_

_He got closer to me and gently pulled my face up so that I could look at him. He was smirking. _

_"So I was your first, huh?"_

_I gave him my most serious face. "Ya know, you are impossible. I'm over here feeling embarrassed because my first time was with a stranger that knocked me up, and you're grinning like a hyena because you took my virginity." I pretended to start pouting. He didn't seem to pretend to notice that I was pretending. He turned serious._

_"Hey. I'm honored to have been your first. I didn't mean to upset you. Please don't get mad at me." _

_If he kept begging, I would've jumped him right then and there. Unfortunately, we decided to take things slow, so I put an end to his pleading._

_"I'm playing with you, Comrade. Don't get so worked up."_

_After that, we just talked for a bit before Lissa called to let me know she was bringing Julia home. Dimitri left, but not before giving me a goodbye kiss. It was short, sweet, and held the promise of meeting again. _

_**end of flashback**_

Julia and I were ready in record time, so we headed to my parents. Abe told my mother, Janine, that Julia's father has come back into the picture, but I've yet to talk to her about it. As it stands, I haven't had a chance to tell them that Dimitri is happy about our daughter.

Once we got to my parents house, they met us at the front door. The look on my father's face told me that we needed to talk, so I bent down to tell Julia to go inside.

"Jay, baby, after you give grandma and grandpa hugs, why don't you go in to see if Uncle Mason has breakfast ready?"

"Okay, Mommy!"

She excitedly hugged her grandparents and ran in the house. Mason isn't biologically her uncle, because he's not really my brother. He works for Abe as a chef, but he isn't much older than me, so we became close friends. When I was pregnant, he took on the role of my very overprotective big brother. That's how he became Uncle Mason to my little Julia. Mason's cousin Eddie, who works for Abe's company, was the same way; an overprotective big brother, so he goes by Uncle Eddie around Julia.

"So, kiz, what happened with Belikov?" My old man demanded the moment Julia ran inside.

"He was happy. He said he's been wanting a family, but we've decided to take things kind of slow despite our history." I shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant.

"Is that what you want or what he wants?" My mother asked.

"It was my idea. I haven't even told Julia about him yet. I don't know how she will react." I admitted.

We talked a bit longer about Dimitri before I left to go to Lissa's. She promised to help me get ready for my day out with my perfect stranger. She was the one who fixed me up the night that Dimitri and I met the first time, so I knew she could help me get dolled up to keep his attention again this time.

Dimitri told me that we would not be going anywhere fancy, so Lissa and and I decided on a casual yet sexy outfit. I was wearing black skinny jeans that made my ass look amazing, and a purple shirt that was made of lace in the back. I wore a nude tank top underneath so that my bra wouldn't show. I was drop dead sexy, and I knew it.

Dimitri picked me up from Lissa's about an hour before lunch. He drove about 45 minutes to a small diner on the outskirts of town. It was ironically close to the place that housed the party where we met. The name of the diner was Olena's Diner. There weren't many cars around, and the place looked almost deserted. I wondered if the food was any good.

"This is my mother's diner. I wanted you to try the food, but I made sure to bring you on a day that my mother and sisters wouldn't be scheduled to work. I don't want you to feel pressured by meeting them."

His admission startled me. I hadn't expected him to bring me to his family's diner. Hell, to be perfectly honest, I hadn't even considered meeting his family yet, even though the only person in my family that he hasn't met was my mom.

We walked into the diner and took a seat. We weren't sitting for very long when a young woman hollered out to us.

"Dimka!"


	6. Chapter 6

**So, I've finally gotten around to updating this story. Hopefully, I will be updating a bit more often, but don't hold me to that. I've been mega busy and I've had a major cade of writer's block. Don't worry, I'm working through it. :)**

**I'm going to try to update my other story before tomorrow, but no promises. **

**If this story makes it to 100+ reviews before my next update, I'll add in a surprise POV. :)**

**Enjoy! **

**Dimitri POV**

"Dimka!"

My head shot up as I heard someone call out my Russian nickname. To my relief, it wasn't my mother or any of my sisters. The woman that called me was more like an adopted cousin. She moved to the states with my family after her parents were killed in an unfortunate car accident. She was one of the few people that knew my date with Rose would be here.

I glanced over at Rose to see her reaction to the woman walking up to us. Rose didn't seem nervous, just surprised and maybe confused. She spoke softly.

"What kind of name is Dimka?"

"Russian nickname."

By the time I replied, my practically adopted cousin walked up to us.

"Vika is in the back with Christian. She showed up a few minutes ago, so I didn't have time to call you to warn you."

Shit. Shit. Shit. Vika is going to mess up everything. I just told Rose that she wouldn't be meeting my family today.

"Thank you, Beth. Rose, this is Beth. Beth, this is Rose."

Both murmured 'hellos' and 'nice to meet yous' before Beth said that she had to get back to work. I turned to Rose.

"I'm so sorry, Rose. None of my family was supposed to be here today so that you wouldn't be pressured by meeting them, but my sister came in today anyway."

She laughed. What is she laughing at?

"What's so funny?"

"Don't worry about it, comrade. I'm okay with meeting your sister. You've already met half of my family. Meeting your sister won't be that bad."

"You say that because you haven't met her yet. Viktoria can be a bit... much sometimes."

Just then, Rose smiled slightly and I felt like someone was standing behind me. I kept a straight face, knowing that it was probably Beth or Vika standing behind me. They both have a habit of trying to sneak up on me. I braced myself for whatever was about to happen.

I felt a hand getting close to my shoulder and before it could make contact, I reached up and caught it.

"Gotcha." It was Vika.

"Dimka, you're no fun. Even your girlfriend here thought it would've been funny," Viktoria complained.

"And you weren't supposed to work today. What are you doing here?"

"I came in to talk to Christian about his party this weekend since I'm helping plan it." Vika smirked. "Are you going to introduce me to your girlfriend or should I introduce myself?"

I huffed and turned my attention over to Rose. She hadn't said anything, and I'm not sure what to think about that. Vika keeps calling her my girlfriend, but I'm not sure how Rose feels about that. Honestly, my stomach does a flip every time I hear Rose referred to as my girlfriend. I'd love to call her that, but she wants to move slow. I guess I will just have to ask her after Vika leaves. If Vika ever leaves.

"Rose, this is my wonderful little sister, Viktoria, and Vika, this is Rose."

Vika seemed to make some kind of revelation as she looked between us. Vika knows about the party where I met Rose and she knows that I spent time looking for Rose, but I haven't told anyone about mine and Rose's daughter, Julia. Honestly, I was afraid of what Vika would say now. Her eyes finally met mine and she spoke in Russian.

"She's the one that you have been looking for, isn't she? You finally found her. When and how? Why didn't you tell me?"

I replied in Russian. "She's my business partner's daughter. That's how I found her. We are trying to take things slow. That's why I brought her here on a day that none of you were supposed to be here."

I glanced back at Rose and an amused expression was playing out across her face. That's when Rose truly shocked me. She spoke to Vika in Russian.

"It's nice to meet you, Viktoria. I tried to tell him that I didn't mind that you were here. I mean, he's met my father and my daughter. It's only fair that I get to meet his sister."

Viktoria looked like her eyes were about to pop out of her head at the mention of Julia. Our conversation switched back to English.

"You have a daughter?"

I shot a look at Rose, and she seemed to understand that I haven't told my family about her or Julia.

"Yes, I do."

Vika smirked. "That's cool. Mama is always hounding Dimka here to find a good girl to give her grandkids. If you marry my brother, Mama would happily claim you and your daughter as family."

"Vika!" I exclaimed. "Could you please keep your thoughts to yourself?" I turned my attention to Rose. "I'll be right back. I need a moment to talk to Vika."

Rose laughed lightly. "I'm not going anywhere."

I got up and grabbed Vika by the arm, pulling her away from Rose. We went to the kitchen where Christian was at. We conversed in Russian again.

"Vika, I swear, you're going to scare her away. I just found her again. Why did you say that?"

Vika scoffed. "I know that you are madly in love with her, Dimka, but you spent one night with her several years ago. She has a kid now. Does that not bother you in the slightest?"

I glared at her. "No. It doesn't, and I will explain later. I need a favor, though. Two actually."

"What favors?"

"For one, I want to be the one to tell Mama and the rest of the family about Rose and her daughter. For two, I want you to ask everyone to come to Mama's tonight for dinner. I'm going to invite Adrian and Ivan too. I have an announcement to make."

She sighed. "Fine, but that announcement better be you telling our family about her. We've all listened to you pine over her for years now."

"That's part of it. I also want to tell everyone that my partnership is finally finalized."

Her face lit up. "Finally? I'm so proud of you Dimka!" She wrapped me in a hug.

"Yes, finally, but I need to get back to my date. Hopefully, she hasn't run for the hills again, yet."

"I'm sorry Dimka. I just kinda freaked when she said she has a kid. Normally, you are the one running for the hills when you find out that your potential love interest has some kind of baggage. You must really have a thing for this one."

"Vika, her father is Ibraham Mazur. I should have ran for the hills the moment I laid eyes on her."

She laughed and shrugged.

"You've got it a lot worse than I thought. Does he know that you did the dirty with his daughter? I'm guessing not since you are still standing."

I glared at her. "Actually, he does know. He even gave me his permission to court her."

Her eyes bulged. "You're lying."

"Nope."

"Wow. That's ridiculous. All I can say is that you better now hurt her. We both know that Zmey is not the kind of person to let things go."

"I know, Vika. I've gotta get back to Rose."

We walked out of the kitchen and back to Rose. Thankfully, she was still there. Vika spoke first.

"I just wanted to come tell you that I'm sorry about what I said earlier about marrying my brother. I'm a little blunt sometimes and I've made it a habit to run off any girls that aren't worthy of my brother. Considering that you're still sitting here after I said all of that, I already like you."

"Like I said before, Dimitri has already met my father and my daughter. Considering who my father is, and what he knows, I figured that he deserves a chance without me running out on him again."

Vika laughed and I just watched the two converse. If Rose can put up with Vika, meeting the rest of my family should be easy for her. I started to tune out their conversation until I heard Vika inviting Rose to Christian's party.

"I'd have to ask my parents or my best friend, Lissa to watch Julia, but I'd love to come." Rose said.

Time for me to interrupt.

"Rose, my whole family will be there. I told you before that I don't want to rush you into meeting them if you aren't ready."

"Comrade, don't be silly. I'd love to meet your family."

Vika piped up. "You can even bring Julia and your friend Lissa if you want. You don't have to find someone to watch her. Our niece and nephew will be there to keep her company. How old is Julia, anyway?"

Rose blushed. "She's 5."

"That's perfect! She's the same age as Zoya. Paul is 8 though." Vika said.

"I'll think about it."

Vika said her goodbyes and walked out the front door. Just then, Beth walked up with our food. I didn't remember ordering, but Rose cleared up the confusion.

"While you were gone, I ordered my food. I told Beth that you were talking to Viktoria so she said she'd get your favorite. I hope you don't mind. I was just hungry."

I chuckled. "That's fine, Roza. I never actually have to order here unless I want something different than Mama's special for the day."

We talked for a bit about little things, just getting to know one another. We talked about our families and our friends. It was wonderful. Everything that she told me about herself made me admire her just a little more. Especially when she talked about Julia. Hearing about all of the things that I missed out on made me feel a bit upset, yet excited at the same time. I couldn't wait to officially meet her as my daughter. After we finished eating, we made our way back to my car. We rode in a comfortable silence for a while before Rose started talking.

"When are you going to tell your family about Julia and me?"

"Tonight. That's what Vika and I were talking about in the kitchen. I told her that I had an announcement for the family, but she thinks it's about the partnership."

"Do you want to officially meet your daughter before you go home then? If this is too soon, you don't have to, but I was planning on telling her who you were tonight. I thought-"

I interrupted her rambling. "I'd be honored to meet my daughter."

Her eyes sparkled and her face lit up. "Really?"

"Yes, really."

Rose called Abe and asked him to bring Julia to her house because she wanted to introduce me to her. The rest of the car ride to Rose's house was filled with small talk about Julia and comfortable silence. When we pulled up to Rose's house, Abe's car was already in the driveway.

Rose grabbed my hand and gave me a reassuring squeeze. I took a deep breath and got out of the car, mentally preparing myself for the introduction that was literally going to change my life.


	7. Chapter 7

**Okay, so we reached 100+ reviews after the last chapter, so as promised, I have included a surprise POV.**

**I forgot to add the Disclaimer on the last couple of chapters, but none of the characters except Julia belong to me. They belong to the one and only richelle mead. **

**Enjoy! **

**Rose POV **

_Previously:_

_Dimitri picked me up from Lissa's about an hour before lunch. He drove about 45 minutes to a small diner on the outskirts of town. It was ironically close to the place that housed the party where we met. The name of the diner was Olena's Diner. There weren't many cars around, and the place looked almost deserted. I wondered if the food was any good._

_"This is my mother's diner. I wanted you to try the food, but I made sure to bring you on a day that my mother and sisters wouldn't be scheduled to work. I don't want you to feel pressured by meeting them."_

_His admission startled me. I hadn't expected him to bring me to his family's diner. Hell, to be perfectly honest, I hadn't even considered meeting his family yet, even though the only person in my family that he hasn't met was my mom._

_We walked into the diner and took a seat. We weren't sitting for very long when a young woman hollered out to us._

_"Dimka!"_

I looked up at the woman that was hurriedly walking towards Dimitri and I. She has blonde hair that came down past her slim shoulders, a pale complexion, and she wore glasses over her bright blue eyes. She was very pretty, and I found myself feeling slightly jealous because she definitely seemed to know my date. I turned my attention to Dimitri and whispered.

"What kind of name is Dimka?"

"Russian nickname."

His reply was quick, but the blonde woman had made it to our table before he finished. She spoke to him as if I wasn't sitting there.

"Vika is in the back with Christian. She showed up a few minutes ago, so I didn't have time to call you to warn you."

Vika? Who is Vika? And who is this woman?

"Thank you, Beth. Rose, this is Beth. Beth, this is Rose."

I decided to be nice since I didn't really know her. After all, she could just be someone from Dimitri's family. We shared polite greetings, and she left to get back to work. Dimitri spoke, pulling me from my thoughts about who Beth was to Dimitri.

"I'm so sorry, Rose. None of my family was supposed to be here today so that you wouldn't be pressured by meeting them, but my sister came in today anyway."

His sister? Oh! Vika. That makes sense, I guess. I started laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"Don't worry about it, comrade. I'm okay with meeting your sister. You've already met half of my family. Meeting your sister won't be that bad."

"You say that because you haven't met her yet. Viktoria can be a bit... much sometimes."

Just then, a young woman that resembled Dimitri in a lot of ways walked up behind him while she made a motion for me to be quiet. I complied, but I couldn't help the small smile that slid across my face.

Dimitri tensed as she got closer. Before she could touch his shoulder, his hand reached up and grabbed hers.

"Gotcha." Dimitri said as he turned around to look at her.

"Dimka, you're no fun. Even your girlfriend here thought it would've been funny," the girl who I assumed was Vika complained.

"And you weren't supposed to work today. What are you doing here?"

"I came in to talk to Christian about his party this weekend since I'm helping plan it." The girl smirked. "Are you going to introduce me to your girlfriend or should I introduce myself?"

Girlfriend? Had Dimitri told his family that I was his girlfriend? The thought excited me and made me nervous at the same time. Dimitri turned his attention back to me.

"Rose, this is my wonderful little sister, Viktoria, and Vika, this is Rose."

Viktoria looked shocked at first as she stared between Dimitri and I. She started spitting out Russian. I'm guessing that neither of them knew that I understood and spoke fluent Russian.

"She's the one that you have been looking for, isn't she? You finally found her. When and how? Why didn't you tell me?"

Dimitri replied in Russian. "She's my business partner's daughter. That's how I found her. We are trying to take things slow. That's why I brought her here on a day that none of you were supposed to be here."

The fact that neither sibling knew that I understood their conversation amused me. From the sounds of it, Dimitri hadn't told his family that he'd 'found' me, but apparently they, or at least Viktoria, knew that he had looked for me. Dimitri looked at me and I decided to put them at of their misery. I spoke to Viktoria in Russian.

"It's nice to meet you, Viktoria. I tried to tell him that I didn't mind that you were here. I mean, he's met my father and my daughter. It's only fair that I get to meet his sister."

Viktoria looked like her eyes were about to pop out of her head at the mention of my daughter. Our conversation switched back to English.

"You have a daughter?"

Dimitri shot me a look. Now, I knew for sure that he hadn't told his family that he had 'found' me.

"Yes, I do."

Vika smirked. "That's cool. Mama is always hounding Dimka here to find a good girl to give her grandkids. If you marry my brother, Mama would happily claim you and your daughter as family."

I blushed. If only she knew that my daughter was also her brother's daughter. I hope that Viktoria is telling the truth about their mother accepting both Julia and I as family. Well, at least Julia. She deserves to be accepted by her father and his family. Dimitri seemed upset by Viktoria's statement.

"Vika!" He exclaimed. "Could you please keep your thoughts to yourself?" He turned his attention to me. "I'll be right back. I need a moment to talk to Vika."

I laughed lightly. "I'm not going anywhere."

Dimitri grabbed his sister by the arm and dragged her away from the table.

They were gone for a while, so when Beth came back to our table, I told her where Dimitri was and ordered my food. She offered to get his favorite for him. Before she left to put in our order, she explained to me that she basically grew up with Dimitri and his family, and that they were basically adopted cousins. That relieved the slight bit of jealousy that I was feeling towards her earlier, and she left me alone once again. Finally, Dimitri and Viktoria walked back up. They both looked relieved to see me sitting here. Viktoria spoke.

"I just wanted to come tell you that I'm sorry about what I said earlier about marrying my brother. I'm a little blunt sometimes and I've made it a habit to run off any girls that aren't worthy of my brother. Considering that you're still sitting here after I said all of that, I already like you."

I blushed. "Like I said before, Dimitri has already met my father and my daughter. Considering who my father is, and what he knows, I figured that he deserves a chance without me running out on him again."

Viktoria laughed and we talked for a little bit longer while Dimitri seemed to tune us out. At least until Viktoria invited me to the party that she was helping Christian, one of the chefs here at Olena's Diner, throw.

I told her that I would love to come, but that I'd have to find a babysitter. She told me to bring Julia and even Lissa. Dimitri joined the conversation and kept trying to convince me that I didn't have to meet his family yet if I wasn't ready.

I told them that I'd think about it. Viktoria finally said her goodbyes, and Beth brought out our food. I explained that I had ordered and Beth ordered for him. He was fine with that.

We talked all the way through lunch. I told him about Julia and my family. He told me about his family. He has the sisters. Two older, Sonja and Karolina, and one younger, Viktoria. He told me about his mother Olena and his grandmother, Yeva. I really enjoyed lunch with Dimitri.

When we finished lunch, we got in Dimitri's car, and I let myself fall into my thoughts. Before I realized what happened, one of my thoughts slipped out of my mouth.

"When are you going to tell your family about Julia and me?"

Well, so much for taking things slow.

"Tonight. That's what Vika and I were talking about in the kitchen. I told her that I had an announcement for the family, but she thinks it's about the partnership."

Oh. I was going to ask him to meet Julia tonight. Again, my mouth started moving before I could stop it.

"Do you want to officially meet your daughter before you go home then? If this is too soon, you don't have to, but I was planning on telling her who you were tonight. I thought-"

He interrupted my rambling. "I'd be honored to meet my daughter."

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

I called my father and told him my plans. He agreed to meet us at my house. After that, Dimitri and I made small talk about Julia and other small things. Dimitri's face lit up every time we talked about our daughter, so I knew that I was doing the right thing. I just hipped that Julia would take it well.

When the car fellback into a comfortable silence, I thought back to the only time that Julia had ever asked about her father.

**Flashback**

_I had just picked up Julia from daycare. She told me that her class had talked about heros that day. She told me that I was her hero because I took care of her and that she wanted to be just like me some day. Soon after, she got really quiet, something that she only did if she was deep in thought. _

_"What are you thinking about so hard, Jay?"_

_I instantly regretted asking._

_"Why don't I have a daddy like the other kids in my class?"_

_I didn't know what to say or how to explain her father to her. _

_"Baby girl, you do have a daddy. He's just not around right now. I will have to explain it better when you get a bit older."_

_Her tiny shoulders slumped in defeat. "Okay, Mommy." My heart broke for her. I knew what it was like to grow up without a father. _

_"Jay, baby, tell me how you are feeling about this. I want to help because I know this is bothering you."_

_"I just want to have a daddy like the kids in my class. They said that daddy's hold you and read to you before bed and play with you just because that's what daddy's do."_

_Again, my heart broke. "I'm so sorry, Jay. I'll do all of those things if you want." I tried to lighten the mood by talking about my dad. "Jay, did you know that when I was little, my daddy was not around either. He was gone just like your daddy is, but he came back to me. Now he does everything that he can to make me and you very happy. Maybe your daddy will come back for you too, like mine did."_

_That seemed to lift her spirit, and we continued on to other topics. _

**End of flashback**

That was about 7 months ago, and we haven't talked about her daddy since then. I could only hope that she still wanted to meet him.

We pulled up to my house, and Abe's car was already in the driveway. I squeezed Dimitri's hand to reassure him that this would be okay. We both got out of the car, but I asked him to stay in the living room with Abe until I brought Julia down from her room. I wanted to talk to her first. Abe spoke.

"You ready for this, kiz?"

"As ready as I can be, Baba."

I walked upstairs to Julia's bedroom and I knocked lightly on the door. I heard Julia mumble out a 'come in' so I opened the door and walked in. Once she seen who I was, she jumped up from her toys, and tackled my legs.

"Mommy!"

"Hey, baby girl, how was your day?"

"It was fun, Momma. I got to help bake some cookies. They were really good!"

She let go of my legs and I sat on the edge of her bed.

"That sounds like fun. Jay, baby, come sit with me for a minute. I need to talk to you about something."

She moved over to me and I pulled her into my lap. She didn't say anything so I spoke first.

"Do you remember that day that you asked me about your daddy?" She nodded and stared at me, but didn't speak. I spoke again.

"Do you still want to meet him, your daddy, I mean? Do you still want him to come back to you and to spend time with you like you said before?"

Her face lit up. "Yes, Mommy! I do! Do I finally get to have a daddy? Did he come back to me like your daddy did for you? When can I see him? I'm so excited!"

I cut off her rambling by putting my finger over her mouth to tell her to use her inside voice. She quieted instantly.

"Yes, you do. He's excited to meet you too. He's actually downstairs right now, waiting for me to finish talking to you."

She started squirming in my lap. "Can I go see him now? Please mommy?"

I held onto her firmly. "Hold on, Jay. Do you remember the other day when we went to grandpa's office?"

She nodded. "When grandpa's new partner was there. I went to eat with grandpa by myself that day."

I nodded. "Yes, you did. Do you remember grandpa's new business partner?"

She nodded again. "His name was Mr. Belikov. What about him, Momma?"

"Well, baby girl, Mr. Belikov is your daddy."

"So, I've already met my daddy? Why didn't you tell me before, Mommy?"

I knew this was coming.

"Yes, but he didn't know that you were his daughter when you met him. He knows now and he wants to be a daddy to you like he couldn't be before. Now, let's go downstairs so you can officially meet your daddy."

"Okay, Mommy!"

**Julia POV****_ (surprise!)_**

I was spending the day at Grandma and Grandpa's when grandpa came in and told me that I was going home early. I was upset about this until grandpa told me that mommy was bringing home a surprise for me. Grandpa wouldn't tell me what it was.

Grandpa took me home, and I went to my room to play with my toys. I was not playing for very long when someone knocked on my door. I told them to come in and I looked up to see my mommy standing there. I ran and grabbed her legs.

"Mommy!"

"Hey, baby girl, how was your day?" Mommy asked.

"It was fun, Momma. I got to help bake some cookies. They were really good!"

I let go of her legs legs and she went to sit on my bed.

"That sounds like fun. Jay, baby, come sit with me for a minute. I need to talk to you about something."

I wonder if this is about my surprise. I let mommy pull me into her lap. I like it when she holds me in her lap. Mommy started talking.

"Do you remember that day that you asked me about your daddy?"

I nodded. I thought about my daddy a lot, but when I asked about it that one day, I knew that it made my mommy sad. I didn't bring it up any more because I don't like it when mommy is sad. Mommy started taking again.

"Do you still want to meet him, your daddy, I mean? Do you still want him to come back to you and to spend time with you like you said before?"

My face lit up, and I replied excitedly. "Yes, Mommy! I do! Do I finally get to have a daddy? Did he come back to me like your daddy did for you? When can I see him? I'm so excited!"

I was so excited! If my surprise was my daddy then I'd be happy forever. Mommy made me be quiet by putting her finger over my mouth like she does whenever I use my outside voice inside. I'm quiet almost instantly.

"Yes, you do. He's excited to meet you too. He's actually downstairs right now, waiting for me to finish talking to you."

I started moving on mommy's lap, excited to go downstairs and meet my daddy. "Can I go see him now? Please mommy?"

I stopped moving. It was no use. Mommy held me tight and she started talking again. "Hold on, Jay. Do you remember the other day when we went to grandpa's office?"

I nodded. "When grandpa's new partner was there. I went to eat with grandpa by myself that day."

She nodded. "Yes, you did. Do you remember grandpa's new business partner?"

I nodded again. "His name was Mr. Belikov. What about him, Momma?"

"Well, baby girl, Mr. Belikov is your daddy."

What? No! How did I meet my daddy and not even know it.

"So, I've already met my daddy? Why didn't you tell me before, Mommy?"

Mommy looked upset now.

"Yes, but he didn't know that you were his daughter when you met him. He knows now and he wants to be a daddy to you like he couldn't be before. Now, let's go downstairs so you can officially meet your daddy."

"Okay, Mommy!"

I got up and went downstairs with mommy. I started to get nervous. What if daddy doesn't like me?

We walked into the living room where daddy and grandpa were at. All of my nervousness disappeared when daddy looked at me. He crouched down and opened his arms to me. I walked over to him and let myself fall into his arms. I noticed that there were some tears in his face.

"Don't cry daddy. I already love you like I love mommy. Just please don't leave me again."

"I love you too Julia. I'll never leave you or your mommy ever again. I'm sorry that I haven't been a good daddy to you, but I'm going to change that. I promise."

I didn't know what to say. I was happy. I finally had the daddy that I've been wanting and I was not going to let him leave me or mommy ever again.

After a few minutes, daddy asked me about my day and about my toys and friends. I told him about everything. Mommy helped me tell some stories, and grandpa left. He promised to be back later.

After a while, daddy explained that he had to leave because he had to go see his mommy and his sisters. He told me that he wasn't leaving for good, just for a little while and I was okay with that.

I finally had a daddy. And I still have my mommy. I am now the happiest little girl alive!


	8. Chapter 8

**So I thought that I'd update again because I'm just awesome like that! **

**Big thanks to everyone who has reviewed, followed and favorited. Without you, this story would not be possible. You are my inspiration! **

**Disclaimer : I do not own VA or any of the characters! ( except Julia ) **

**ENJOY! **

**Dimitri POV**

Rose asked me to wait in the living room with Abe while she went to talk to our daughter. Our daughter. It feels so good to say that. I just hope that she accepts me. I've only been absent from her life for the last 5 years.

I sat with Abe and we made small talk while we waited on Rose to bring down Julia. After several minutes, Abe's mood shifted to a more serious attitude. Great. He's back to threatening me.

"Belikov, I don't know if Rose ever told you, but I wasn't around for a good part of her life. Her mother kept her away from me until she was 16."

Huh. Maybe not. I replied.

"Rose mentioned it, but she never really went into detail."

Abe seemed to want to say more, so I listened intently.

"The details aren't important. What I'm trying to say is that I understand what you are about to go through; officially meeting your daughter for the first time after missing out on part of her life. Hell, when Janine called me and told me that Rose was demanding to meet me, I didn't know what to think. My head started spinning and I was so nervous that she wouldn't accept me or that she would hate me for not being there."

I nodded, letting him know that I knew what he was referring to, but I didn't speak. I couldn't. My mind and my emotions were running wild. He continued.

"My point is that Rose accepted me, and forgave me for not being there when I should have been. Julia is Rose made over; she'll forgive you. That is if thinks that you need to be forgiven. She may just accept you with open arms."

"Thank you. That helps ease my nerves a bit. I want to be a part of her life and I will do everything that I can to make both Julia and Rose happy."

He was quiet for a minute, and when he spoke, I barely heard him because he whispered.

"That's all I'm asking for."

I got ready to reply when Rose and Julia came down the stairs. I looked at Rose and she nodded to me in encouragement. I turned my attention to Julia. At first she looked nervous, but then a smile spread out across her face. I crouched down and opened my arms, hoping, praying, that she will want to hug me back.

She slowly made her way over to me. As soon as she was close enough, she thrust herself into my embrace. Tears of joy started falling down my face, because no words could describe the amazing feeling of holding my little girl in my arms for the first time. When she spoke, she sounded like an angel. My little angel.

"Don't cry daddy. I already love you like I love mommy. Just please don't leave me again."

I wouldn't. I couldn't leave them even if I wanted to. I'd die first. This was my Roza. My Julia. Our Julia.

"I love you too Julia. I'll never leave you or your mommy ever again. I'm sorry that I haven't been a good daddy to you, but I'm going to change that. I promise."

I meant every word. I'd do whatever I had to do to make it up to Julia and Roza for not being there for them before.

I noticed that Abe and Rose had left the room so that I could get acquainted with my daughter, so I did just that. I spent a couple of hours talking to her about anything and everything that she wanted to talk about. She was the most amazing little girl that I'd ever met, and I loved her already.

I left Roza's house after saying goodbye and promising to see them again. Now it was time to go to my mother's and deliver the news of my business deal, Roza and our beautiful daughter. I called Ivan and Adrian to invite them to dinner so that they could be there when I told the news to my family. They deserved to be there because they were like the brothers that I never had.

When I got to Mama's, everyone was already there. Vika had, for once, done what I asked her to do. She hadn't uttered a word about Roza but she had asked Mama to set up dinner for everyone because I had an announcement. Mama enveloped me in a hug.

"Go set the table, Dimka. Dinner will be ready by the time you finish."

I did as I was told. I set the table and helped Mama bring the food to the table. We let everyone know that dinner was ready, and within minutes, the table was surrounded by my family and my two best friends. We all conversed in small talk as we ate, until half way through dinner when Vika spoke up, grabbing everyone's attention.

"So, Dimka, what's this big announcement that you have?" She smirked.

"Actually, I have a few." I took a drink to clear my throat. "My partnership has been finalized. It goes into full effect Monday morning."

Everyone around me belted out congratulations. Well, everyone except Vika. She was still smirking, waiting on me to tell everyone about Roza. Mama seemed to notice that I hadn't finished.

"What else, Dimka? You said that you had a few announcements." Mama said.

I looked straight at my mama and smiled.

"I found her."

The table erupted in happiness. They all knew who I was talking about. Mama pulled me into a hug, and spoke into my ear.

"I knew that you would. Does this mean things are going well with her?"

I nodded. She released me and I was bombarded with questions like 'how did you find her?' 'When?' 'Where?' 'What is she like?'. I mentioned that Vika had met her and then she was also bombarded with questions. We both answered them as best as we could. Vika let it slip that Roza had a daughter, and everyone turned to stare at me. My older sister Karo was the one to speak.

"A daughter, Dimka? This woman had a daughter, and you've just accepted that so you could be with her?"

My response was immediate. "Yes."

Vika piped in about how she tried to scare her off like she had done with girls in my past, and then she turned her attention to me.

"You still haven't explained why you were so quick to accept her daughter, Dimka."

How was I going to explain this? Well, I guess I'll start from the beginning. I told them about the meeting that Rose and Julia had walked in on and everything that happened between then and when Rose told me that she had something to tell me.

"She texted me and asked me to come over so that we could talk. I had no idea what it could be about, and my mind wasn't being very kind to me about the whole thing. So once I got there, we got straight to the point. She told me that Julia, her daughter, was biologically mine."

Everything was silent, and I noticed that my grandmother, Yeva, had walked into the room during my story. She was staring at me very curiously. Ivan and Adrian broke the silence.

"Holy crap, man..."

"So you have a kid?"

I just nodded. I was startled when Sonja decided to scream at me.

"She told you that her kid was yours, and you just took her word for it?"

"Sonja!" Mama snapped.

The table was once again bursting with noise. This time, everyone was arguing about Julia and whether or not I should trust Rose.

"Enough!" Yeva snapped. Everyone was instantly quiet. "The girl speaks the truth. The child belongs to Dimka." With that, she left the room.

No one dares to speak against babushka. When she has a vision, everyone listens, because for as long as I've been alive, she's never been wrong.

Dinner was peaceful after that. Mama was ecstatic because I had given her another grandchild, even if we had missed the last 5 years of her life. Everyone else wanted to know more about Julia and Roza, so I told them everything that I knew. Well, mostly, anyway.

After dinner, Ivan pulled me to the side while Adrian flirted with Vika.

"What's gonna happen now that you have a kid?"

"Honestly, Ivan, I have no idea. I'm just going to take it one day at a time and figure it out as I go, I guess. What else can I do? Rose introduced me to her tonight, ya know, as her father. She just accepted me, as if I had been there for her this whole time. She's the most amazing little girl, and she already has my heart. Just like her mother does."

He seemed surprised at my admission.

"Dude, I don't know what she did to you six years ago, but I think you're in love."

This time, I was surprised. I'd thought of Roza many times over the years, but I never thought that I'd have fallen in love with her. Did I love her? No, surely not. I'm just smitten. Then why does she occupy my every spare thought? A realization hit me like a sack of bricks.

I'm in love with the mother of my daughter.

**so what did you think? Review and let me know what you think will happen next!**


	9. Chapter 9

_**Surprise POV! I bet you didn't expect to hear from Lissa! Anyway, this chapter came to me in the spur of the moment, so it's kind of short. I'm in the process of working it into the story line (won't be too hard. Something like this was supposed to happen later in the story, but I'm changing everything around a bit. **_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own VA or any of the characters. **_

_**Enjoy! **_

**Lissa POV **

I was getting ready to go with Rose to some party that she had been invited to. I thought back to last night when she had called me, begging me to go with her.

_**Flashback**_

It was about 10 p.m. when Rose called me. She called me about this time almost every night. It's really the only time that we get to just have girl talk unless her parents have Julia.

I answered the phone in a cheery voice, even though I just wanted to break down in tears. A few weeks ago, my boyfriend - now ex boyfriend - broke up because he just wanted to 'have some fun and not be tied down to any one person'. I had also been thinking about the car accident that had claimed my family's life. I lost both of my parents, and my only brother, Andre. Tonight I was feeling especially lonely. I had been feeling that way since Dimitri had walked back into Rose's life. I am happy for her - really, I am - but seeing her happy just reminds me of how lonely I am right now.

"Hello."

"Hey, Lissa. Guess what?"

"What?"

"I finally introduced Julia and Dimitri as father and Daughter!" She replied happily.

"Really? How did it go?" I nearly forgot how lonely I was because her happiness was contagious.

"Great, actually. It was like he's been there her whole life. I think my little girl has been converted from a Momma's girl to a Daddy's girl. You should've seen it!"

"I wish I would have. Anything to make you and my god daughter happy, makes me happy." It was true, even if I was lonely.

"I'm glad you said that. I need a favor."

"Rose, you always need a favor. You know that I will do anything to help you."

"Great! You're going to a party with me and Julia tomorrow night. Please?"

"Do I have to? You know that I don't like being in big crowds."

"Yes, you have to. It shouldn't be too big of a crowd. Dimitri's family will be there with some of his friends and some people from the diner that Dimitri's mother owns. Come on, Liss. I'm meeting most of his family for the first time, and introducing them to my daughter. I need your support!" She begged.

"Okay. I'll go, on one condition."

"What's the condition?"

"No playing matchmaker. Every guy that you have tried to set me up with since like ever, has turned out badly." I said boldly.

She huffed on her end of the phone. "Fine, but only because the only male that I know that will be there is mine." She laughed.

After that, we chatted a bit about our day and other small things. She told me when to be ready and that she would pick me up. Then we finally hung up and I went to bed.

_**End of Flashback**_

So here I am, getting ready to attend a party that I'm only attending to give my best friend moral support. She won't need it. Everyone always loves her. Julia is the same way. She can capture your heart with one word or small smile. I'm proud to call Rose my best friend and I'm proud to call her daughter my god daughter.

Just as I finished my make up, there was a knock at the door. It was frantic and loud. That kind of scared me. I wasn't expecting anyone but Rose and Julia, and Rose knew to just let herself in. I rushed to the door, not knowing what to expect. I opened the door to a very distraught Abe.

"Lissa, come with me. Hurry. It's Rose and Julia. They have been in an accident. We have to get to the hospital. I have no idea if they are hurt or how badly. I know that Rose and Julia would want you to be there."

I didn't say anything. I grabbed my keys and my purse, thankful that I had them ready and by the door for the party later. I followed Abe out to his car, and we rushed to the hospital.

The only thing running through my mind was that Rose and Julia had to be okay. They were my only family left.


	10. Chapter 10

_**First things first, I wanted to give a shout out to **_roza m belicova_**. Go check out her stories, I've read them and I enjoyed them. Maybe you will too :)**_

_**Disclaimer : I do not own VA or any of the characters (except Julia Ceren Mazur Belikova).**_

_**Review please :)**_

_**Also, I have posted a new story, and I would like for all of my lovely readers to let me know what they think. I may or may not continue it. It's called**__ A Night to Forget?_

_**Anyway, Enjoy! **_

**Dimitri POV**

It was about 2 hours before the party when I got the phone call that nearly stopped my heart. I was waiting for Rose to show up with Julia and her friend Lissa, but they were late. It wasn't too unusual, I guess. In the little time that I had gotten to know Rose, she was almost always late, but something felt wrong. When my phone rang, and the caller ID showed Rose's name, I took a premature sigh of relief.

"Rose?" I said as I answered the phone.

A stranger's voice came over the line.

"I'm sorry, no. There was an accident. I witnessed it and I was able to get this phone to call for help. I've already called for an ambulance, but your number was on the 'in case of emergency' contacts, so I thought I'd call you too."

My mind was spinning. Rose was hurt. Where was Julia? Rose's friend Lissa? Were they hurt too? Had he called Abe too?

"Who..who all was in the car?" I forced out.

"There was the woman with long brown hair, whom I am assuming is the Rose that you were asking about, and a little girl, whom I am assuming is her daughter. That's it. They are both alive, but unconscious. Oh, good. Here comes the ambulance."

Julia was in the car. She's hurt too. I can't lose them. I just got them.

Stop it! They are both alive! They will be okay! They have to be okay. I grabbed my keys. I will be at the hospital when they get there.

"Are you going to the hospital? I'm leaving home now to get there. Also, I have to call Rose's father. What's your name?"

"Sydney, and yes, I have to go. My car was clipped by one of the cars in the accident and I'm a bit banged up. I'm going to ride with Rose and her daughter in the ambulance if they let me. I want to make sure they are okay."

I sighed in slight relief. They won't be alone, and I have someone to keep me updated.

"Thank you, Sydney. That means a lot to me. My name is Dimitri, and the little girl's name is Julia. She is mine and Rose's daughter, and Rose, well, Rose is the love of my life. Please, hang on to Rose's phone and use it to call me if anything changes, good or bad. I have to go so I can call Rose's father. I will see you at the hospital."

"Okay, bye Dimitri."

I hung up the phone, and took a deep breath. Now I have to call Abe. I dialed his number, and listened to it ring. I didn't know who else to call, so he had better answer. He didn't. I called again. He didn't answer. I called a third time as I was pulling into the hospital parking lot. He answered on the third ring.

"This had better be important, Belikov. I was in bed with my wife." He threatened.

"Rose and Julia were in an accident. I'm pulling into the hospital now. As far as I know, they were both alive, but unconscious."

That shut up his threatening real quick.

"I'm on my way. Oh, and Belikov, remind me to give you my personal phone number next time."

"Yes, sir." And he hung up.

I was just about to call Sydney back as I walked towards the Emergency Room entrance when an ambulance came into the parking lot. Hopefully, that was my new found family. It was. As soon as the doors opened to the ambulance, an EMT got out and pulled out one of the beds in the ambulance. I heard someone call out.

"She's waking up! Do we know where her father is?"

A small blonde girl piped up. She was covered in small cuts and probably several bruises. "He's on his way if he isn't already here, and I told you that her name was Julia, but that's all I know."

I heard myself speaking before I realized what I was doing. "Julia? Rose? Sydney?"

The small blonde girl looked at me and smiled. "You must be Dimitri. I'm Sydney. It's nice to meet you, although I wish it had been under better circumstances."

"Likewise. Did someone say that Julia was waking up? Can I see her? Is she okay?" That's when I seen her on the bed that had been pulled out of the ambulance. She was covered in as many cuts and scratches as Sydney. Probably bruises too. Other than that, she didn't seem to have any visable injuries.

"Daddy?" Julia says in a weak voice. My heart breaks and leaps for joy at the same time. It breaks because of how weak my little angel sounds, but it leaps for joy that she's awake and okay. It may also have something to do with the fact that she recognized me as her daddy. I rush to the side of her bed.

"I'm here baby girl. Daddy is here with you." I cooed at her. She reached up and latched onto my neck.

"I love you Daddy. I think Momma is hurt." She whispered.

"I know baby. I love you too, my little angel. I have to check on Momma. This lady here," I pointed to Sydney, "is a friend of mine. She is going to go with you for right now. The doctor needs to check you out to make sure that you are going to be okay. Are you okay with that?"

Julia nodded. Sydney walked over and introduced herself as the EMT took them inside the hospital. I watched them go as the rest of the EMTs pulled the other bed out of the ambulance. There she was; the woman that I finally admitted to myself that I was in love with. She was banged up, covered in cuts, scrapes, already forming bruises, and blood. There was a gash on her forehead and it looked as if her leg was broken. A voice broke me out of my thoughts.

"She's stable, and I have every reason to believe that she could pull through this. The doctor will have to check everything over, but I'm almost sure that she isn't hurt as badly as she looks."

"Thank you. I'm going to go with her if you don't mind."

He told that was okay. I followed him into the hospital, and into one of the rooms to wait for a doctor. Time seemed to crawl as I waited. Rose didn't wake up, so I just sat there by the side of the bed, holding her hand. Eventually, a doctor showed up.

"Are you Julia's parents?" He asked. I nodded, and he continued talking. "I'm Dr. Tanner. Julia is going to be fine. Aside from a mild concussion and minor scrapes and bruises, she was not injured at all. She's a wonderful little girl, and she is worried about her Momma. Would you like to go see her while I check over your wife here?"

I chuckled a bit, but quickly composed myself. "I'll do that, but Rose isn't my wife. Not yet, anyway. We've only recently reconnected, so I guess you could say that we are dating. She was supposed to meet my family for the first time tonight. Please take care of her, Doctor, I've only just got her back. I-" I was cut off by my phone ringing. It was Abe.

"I'm sorry, I have to take this. It's her father." He nodded and went to work, checking on Rose.

"Hello, Abe-" he cut me off.

"Dammit Belikov, how did you manage to get in the back with my girls? They won't let me past the front desk!" He screamed at me.

"I got here before the ambulance did. Julia is awake. She will be fine. Rose is still unconscious, and the doctor is with her right now checking for other damage."

Abe huffed angrily on the other side of the phone. "How the hell did you manage to get here BEFORE the ambulance? And how did you find out about the accident, anyway? Were you in the car? And what do you mean 'other damage'? What damage does she have? My little girl better be okay, Belikov!" He exclaimed.

"No, I was not in the accident. Another girl that was hurt in the accident managed to get Rose's phone to call for help. After she did, she called me. Apparently, Rose added me to her emergency contact list or something. I was waiting on Rose, so I was already ready to leave when she called, so I headed out the door before the ambulance ever got to the accident scene. That's when I hung up and attempted to call you. As far as Rose's injuries, I'm not entirely sure. All I really know is that she is stable." I told him. Just then, the doctor motioned for me to talk to him. I told Abe that I'd call him back.

He told me that he was sending Rose down to get x-rays done. I told him that I was going to check on Julia, then I was going to talk to Rose's father. He told me that was fine, so I left the room to go find my daughter.

**Julia's POV **

Momma and I were on our way to pick up Auntie Lissa so that we could go see my Daddy and meet his family when something bad happened. I was singing along to my favorite song on the radio when there was a loud smash. Everything was spinning, and I could feel the seatbelt holding me in place. I'm glad Momma put it on me. When everything stopped moving, my head started hurting, and it was kind of hard to see. I looked up at Momma. She was covered in red stuff, and I quickly realized it was what Momma had told me was blood. My vision was getting darker, but I kept staring at Momma. I tried to scream at her. The only time that I had ever seen blood was when I scraped up my knee after I fell down. It hurt, a lot, and blood meant that Momma was hurt.

The last thought I had before everything went black was that Momma was hurt, and I wished Daddy was here to help me, help us.

**Abe POV**

I was laying in bed next to a very naked Janine when my phone started ringing. It was my work phone, so Janine insisted that I ignore it. I happily obliged. Work could wait. I was much too content to deal with anything relating to work right now. My phone finally stopped ringing, and I relaxed. At least, I relaxed until it started ringing again.

This time I was getting irritated. Everyone I work with knows that if I don't answer the first time, I'm busy. If it's an emergency, I have a pager. I let the phone stop ringing again. Maybe they would get the point.

It stopped ringing again, only to start back up a minute later. This time, I got up to answer the phone, perfectly intent on cussing whoever was calling out along with firing them from their job.

I checked the caller ID. It was Belikov. No wonder he kept calling; he wouldn't find out about the rules of calling Ibrahim Mazur until tomorrow. I answered, still pissed.

"This had better be important, Belikov. I was in bed with my wife." I threatened.

"Rose and Julia were in an accident. I'm pulling into the hospital now. As far as I know, they were both alive, but unconscious."

Wait, what? My little girls were hurt. Now I felt bad, guilty even. Here I was, cuddled up to my wife when my daughter and granddaughter were hurt. I quickly regained composure.

"I'm on my way. Oh, and Belikov, remind me to give you my personal phone number next time."

"Yes, sir." I hung up the phone, and went back to Janine, grabbing clothes along the way.

"What happened?" She snapped.

"That was Belikov. Rose and Julia were hurt in an accident. Come on, get dressed. We need to pick up Lissa, and get to the hospital.

She nodded and got ready faster than I'd ever seen her get ready before. I think she might have even been ready before me. We rushed out the door, and made it to Lissa's within a few minutes. She didn't live far from us, so it was easier to pick her up and explain the situation than to call and hope that she could make it to the hospital before she broke down into tears.

It's no secret that Rose and Lissa are as close, if not closer than sisters. Janine and I have treated her as though she was our own child after her parents passed. This will no doubt bring up some bad memories for her.

I got to the door and when she opened it, I explained the situation. I didn't know much, only what Belikov had told me before I hung up on him to get ready to get to the hospital.

I was right about Lissa. She would have never made it to the hospital on her own. She was in the back seat crying harder than I've ever seen anyone cry. Janine got in the back seat with her to attempt to comfort her. It didn't work. Lissa only cried harder, if that was possible. My heart broke for her. Yes, Rose was my daughter, and Julia was my granddaughter, but to Lissa, Rose was her best friend, her sister, the only one that she felt like she had left after her parents past away.

About six months after her parents died, I had found Lissa sitting in my garden, crying softly to herself. Janine had taken Rose to one of her pregnancy appointments (she was about 3 months pregnant at this time), so I was expecting to be home alone. I walked over to her to find out what was wrong, even though I had a feeling that I already knew. She was still grieving over her lost family.

She was startled by my presence, but she welcomed it and told me what was wrong. I was right, but there was so much more. She explained to me that without Rose, she would've committed suicide. She told me that she had tried, but Rose had found her and stopped her.

I comforted her as if she were my own daughter, and told her that she was part of our family; that she wasn't alone. After that, we got closer (like a family), but we never spoke of that day again.

Now I knew she was facing the fact that her sister, in everything but blood, was in a similar situation that had taken her family 6 years ago. What's even worse, is, I believe, today was the six year anniversary of their deaths.

We finally made it to the hospital, but the front desk refused to let anyone go to the back to see Rose or Julia. So, I called Belikov since I knew he was back there with one of them.

I might have yelled at him a bit, but he explained the situation. I'm actually kind of pissed that he had been the one that received the call instead of me, but I'm glad he called me as soon as he found out, even if I had ignored him the first two times. If nothing else, I can say that he is persistent.

I might actually be glad that I found him, despite Rose's help and lack of information. Now, I just have to keep her, and everyone else from finding out exactly how Dimitri Belikov came to become my business partner.

_**Surprised yet? Don't forget to review!**_


	11. Chapter 11

_**Shout out to Jadey1610 who was my 150th reviewer for this story! Check out her stories!**_

_**In case any of you were wondering, here is a brief timeline of events. (No specific dates)**_

_**It is currently mid-September (in this story). Lissa's parents and brother died 6 years prior (it's the 6 year anniversary of their deaths).**_

_**Rose and Dimitri meet about 3 months after that accident, making Julia's conception somewhere around mid-December.**_

_**Let's say that Julia was born a bit premature, therefore her birthday would be late July. **_

_**At this time, Rose and Dimitri would have reconnected about a week and a half to two weeks prior to Rose and Julia's accident. **_

_**Ages: Julia turned 5 in the July prior to their accident. **_

_**Rose and Lissa are about 24. That makes them about 18 when Lissa's family died and Rose got pregnant. **_

_**Dimitri is 29.**_

_**Hope I didn't forget anything.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

**Rose POV**

My first conscious thought was that my entire body hurt. Ouch. I opened my eyes, and immediately recognized that I was in a hospital, and I was alone.

What happened?

Then I remembered. I was driving to Lissa's house, and Julia was in the back seat, singing her favorite song because it was playing on the radio. We were hit by another car.

Oh god, Julia! Where is she? Is she okay? I don't know what I'll do if my baby is hurt. And Dimitri. Where is he? Could he be with Julia?

I tried to sit up, and the machine that I was hooked up to started beeping loudly. I ignored the beeping machine and sat up the rest of the way. I noticed that there was a bandage on my head, a boot on my left foot, and a brace on my right leg. Everything else on my body seemed to be okay even if it was stiff and sore. A moment later, a male doctor walked in.

"Oh, good. You're awake. I'm Dr. Tanner. How are you feeling?" He gave me a small smile.

"Stiff. Sore. I remember the accident, but nothing after. Where is my daughter, Julia? Is she okay? Please tell me she is okay." I asked frantically.

"Julia is fine. She was released to her father shortly after I examined her. I believe your whole family is in the waiting room, actually." I sighed in relief. Julia is okay. I'm okay. My family is waiting for me.

"How long have I been out?"

"About 4 hours. You started to wake up shortly after coming in, but I gave you some medicine to help with the pain which put you back to sleep." He said, smile widening.

"When can I leave?" I asked impatiently. I needed to see my daughter with my own eyes.

"As soon as I give you one last check up, and give you your discharge information. I've already talked to your boyfriend, and he knows how to handle your injuries. You will probably be dependent upon him and your family for a while since you won't be walking on your own for at least a few weeks."

He proceeded to tell me about all of my injuries. I had a major concussion, a huge gash to the forehead, plenty of minor cuts, bruises and scrapes, torn ligaments in my left knee (hints the leg brace), and a fractured left foot. Great. I guess I'm glad that Abe convinced me to be a stay at home mom and living off of his money until Julia started school full time. I don't have to worry about getting fired from whatever job I would have had otherwise.

"Will you be able to get dressed yourself, or should I get someone from the waiting room?" Dr. Tanner asked, pulling me from my thoughts. I thought about it for a minute.

"Could you see if Lissa is out there? If so, send her and Julia. If not, then Dimitri and Julia, please." I told him.

He left, and a few minutes later, Lissa walked in holding a sleeping Julia and my discharge papers. I can't even describe the relief I feel when I see that my daughter is safe.

"As soon as you are dressed, and in your wheelchair, you can leave." Lissa whispered. I could tell that she had been crying, and the only thing holding her back from pulling me into a bone crushing hug was my sleeping daughter. I pulled myself over to the edge of the bed, motioning for Lissa to lay down Julia. As soon as she does, I pull her into a hug. I feel her sobbing against my shoulder.

"It's okay, Lissa. I'm okay. Julia is okay. We are okay. We are safe." I whispered in her ear, over and over again. Six years ago, today, Lissa's parents and brother were killed in an accident very similar to the one that Julia and I were in earlier today. I can't imagine the horror she went through before she knew that I was okay.

After a few minutes, she calmed down and helped me get dressed and moved into my wheelchair. She put my sleeping daughter in my lap, and I held her close while Lissa pushed me out to my waiting family.

**Dimitri POV**

The doctor released Julia shortly after she got checked out. Since she had a mild concussion, the doctor told me to just watch her; she could sleep, but I needed to wake her up every few hours.

I took Julia out to the waiting room while Sydney was getting checked out. There was still no word on the extent of Rose's injuries. In the waiting room, I spotted Abe. He was with a young blonde woman that I assumed was Lissa and an older redheaded woman that I assumed was Rose's mother. When Julia spotted them, she confirmed my assumptions.

"Grandpa! Grandma! Auntie Lissa!" Julia shouted, squirming to get out of my arms so that she could run to them. I let her down. The blonde woman, Lissa, met her half way. She scooped my daughter up into her arms, and hugged her tight.

"Not so tight, Auntie Lissa. I hurt all over." Julia said.

Lissa mumbled an apology while Rose's parents just watched the pair. I walked up to them and introduced myself to Lissa and Janine, who in turn, introduced themselves. Julia got down from Lissa's arms, and took turns hugging each of her grandparents. After she greeted then properly, she made her way back to me. Julia latched on to me, and made herself comfortable in my lap, refusing to let me go. As she was falling asleep, Janine spoke.

"I see that my granddaughter has a new favorite male figure in her life. When she was younger, Julia would give Rose hell until she was in the arms of her Grandpa. No one could soothe her like Abe could." Janine said. I took it as a compliment.

"Congratulations, Belikov. I'd say that you have been forgiven." Abe said, smiling a bit. I smiled back, not wanting to talk in case Julia was already asleep.

"Daddy, is Momma going to be okay? I miss her." Julia mumbled sleepily.

"I hope so, baby girl. I miss her, too." I whispered back to her. We were all silent after that until Julia fell asleep. Once we were sure that she was asleep, we had hushed conversation. Sydney found us in the waiting room. She returned Rose's phone to me, and we exchanged information. She wanted to meet Rose when she was awake, and I agreed. She left after I introduced her to Rose's family. After that, we mostly talked about Julia and Rose, but Lissa also told me about her family and the accident that killed them. It broke my heart that she was going through this. Julia drifted in and out of sleep the entire time.

A few hours of waiting, my mother called. I had completely forgotten to call her when I found out about the accident, so when I didn't show up to the party, she worried. After telling her what happened, she calmed down and offered to come to the hospital. I told her not to. I didn't want the first time that she met Rose to have been in a hospital waiting room.

Eventually, Dr. Tanner came out to the waiting room to give us an update on Rose's condition. She was okay. Everyone was relieved. He also told us that he had given her some pain medication that put her back to sleep, and when she woke up, she could go home. So when he went back inside, we waited.

A few hours later, Dr. Tanner came out asking for Lissa and Julia. I passed my sleeping daughter over to Lissa, who went back to see Rose. Once again, we just had to wait.

After what seemed like a life time, the door opened, and out came Rose in a wheelchair with our sleeping daughter in her lap, being pushed by Lissa. Relief washed through me. Even after being told that the love of my life was okay, seeing that she was okay for myself was just about the sweetest relief of all.

_**so, I know this is probably kind of short, and some of it may not make any sense. Sorry about that. My thoughts are scattered in a million different directions tonight.**_

**_Please review and let me know what you think! One lucky reviewer may get a shout out or a preview of the next chapter._**

**_Hope you enjoyed! _**

**_Oh, by the way, everyone who reads this has lost _**_the game.__** if you don't know what the game is, then please, ignore this :)**_


	12. Chapter 12

_**This week has been hectic. And writers block is a bitch. **_

_**Disclaimer : I do not own VA or any of the characters**_

_**Please review! **_

_**Enjoy! **_

**Abe POV**

We were all waiting anxiously for some news about Rose's condition when Dimitri's phone started ringing. He answered it quickly to keep it from waking Julia. I didn't hear anything other than "hello, Mama" before he walked away, still holding a sleeping Julia. I took this opportunity to ask my family (yes, Lissa is family too) what they thought of my new business partner.

"What are we thinking? About Dimitri, I mean? Will he be good for Rose and Julia?"

"Well, he's definitely persistent. If he hadn't been, we'd still be in bed, clueless about the accident." My wife said. Guilt coursed through me again.

"He seems quiet, like he keeps to himself most of the time. Almost like the opposite of Rose. I'm not sure if they would be perfect together, or if they would fight all the time and cause a world war." Lissa commented.

"She has a point, Abe. How much do we really know about him?" Janine asked me.

"I had extensive research done on him before I decided to sign him as my partner. Aside from beating up his drunk, abusive father when he was 13, he's never been into any trouble. He's never been engaged or married. His family owns a small diner on the edge of town. He was in the process of opening a gym when I gave him the proposition to become my partner."

That's when it clicked with my wife what I had done. I seen it in her expression.

"How did you... I thought that... damn it, Ibrahim. You couldn't leave well enough alone, even after she asked you to, could you? What are you going to do if she finds out?"

"I'll get to that when it happens, Janine." I turned my attention to Lissa, who was thoroughly confused. "Rose won't be happy when she finds out that I had his background checked out. Even if it was just for the partnership, before she told me that he was Julia's father. Can I trust that you will keep this to yourself for now?" My wife gave me a pointed look. She knew that I was lying.

"I won't tell her, but I won't lie to her about it if she asks me." Lissa replied.

I just nodded because Belikov was walking back towards us. We resumed the mindless chatter that filled the silence before until the doctor came in to tell us that Rose was going to be okay, even if she was banged up a bit. I was relieved. We all were. The doctor told us that she didn't need visitors, but she could go home when she woke up.

The hardest part was waiting for her to wake up.

**Rose POV**

Seeing everyone in the waiting room was like a breath of fresh air. All of their faces showed relief and worry.

"Could you guys not worry so much? I'm okay. I'm just gonna need some help getting around for a bit. Other than that, I'm fine." I said, slightly annoyed.

"Tough as nails, just like your mother. I bet you are going to love being wheelchair bound." Sarcasm filled my father's words, paired with a small smirk.

"Shut up, old man, before I put you in one right beside me."

He held up his hands in mock surrender and made his way over to give me a gentle hug. My mother followed suit. Dimitri stood off to the side, patiently waiting his turn. I'm glad that my parents decided to call him.

"So who gets to drive me home since I'm pretty sure my car is not going to be drivable?"

Dimitri let out a dry, humorless chuckle.

"Rose, your car will never be drivable again. It was totalled 3 times over. It's really a miracle that you and Julia come out with minimal injuries." He paused. "If your family doesn't mind, I'll take you home and help you get settled in." I was okay with that, but the look on my father's face made me believe that he wasn't quite as okay with it as I was.

"I'm okay with that if Rose is okay with that. It's almost midnight now, and I have to work in the morning." Lissa said, smiling at me. She knew that I would be okay with it. My mom really surprised me when she spoke up.

"Take her home, Dimitri. I'm sure Abe will give you some time off so that you can help out Rose for a bit. You are probably the only one who will be able to carry Rose up the stairs in her house anyway." I looked over at Abe; he was looking at my mother in shock. She reached over and whispered something in his ear. An emotion that I couldn't place flashed in his features before he spoke.

"Go ahead, Belikov. Just remember what I told you before." I heard the silent threat in his words, and I was sure Dimitri did too when he nodded at my father.

"Hey, Comrade, you can stay in my guest room if you want. That way you won't have to rush over every morning to help me get Julia ready for school."

I think Abe was happy that I offered Dimitri my guest room instead of my room. Dimitri didn't have any emotions present on his face, so I have no idea how he was really feeling about my offer. Finally, he spoke.

"I think that would be best, so that I can be there anytime that you will need help. At least until we can figure out a different solution." That actually disappointed me a bit. He's acting like he doesn't have a choice. Did I misjudge his feelings for me? Did I push him too far by asking him to stay over for a while?

"Can we go now? I'm ready to leave this hospital."

"Sure, Kiz. Let's all go home. We can work everything out tomorrow."

Lissa went to the car with my parents, because apparently, they picked her up to bring her to the hospital. I held onto Julia while Dimitri pushed us to his car. I gently shook her awake.

"Jay, baby, wake up for Momma."

"Mommy?" She asked, groggily.

"I'm here, baby girl. Momma's okay. It's time to get in Daddy's car. It's time to go home." I told her, gently. She tightened her hold on me, but released me fairly quickly.

"I don't want to! We might get hurt again, Momma! I don't want you to het hurt again, and I don't want Daddy to get hurt!" She exclaimed, starting to get really upset.

"Julia, please calm down." Dimitri interjected. "I'm going to drive very carefully, so that we won't get hurt. I promise everything will be okay."

Julia calmed almost instantly with his promise.

"Mommy, Daddy, I'm scared." My baby told me.

"I know, Jay. I'm a little scared too, but I trust that your Daddy is going to keep us safe. Would you feel better if I sat in the back seat with you?"

She nodded, and finally got in the car. Dimitri helped me in beside Julia, then he put my new wheelchair in the trunk.

We finally got home, and Julia asked if she could sleep with me tonight. I was happy to comply with that. What really surprised me is what she asked after I agreed to let her sleep with me in my bed.

"Mommy, is it okay if Daddy sleeps with us too? He makes me feel safe."

I froze. I had no idea what to say to that. What would he say? He didn't leave me quessing for very long, because he spoke when he realized that I froze.

"Julia, why don't you go get ready for bed, and we will let you know in just a few minutes. Momma and I need to talk about it first, okay?" He was so perfect with her.

"Okay, Daddy." Then she ran off upstairs, leaving Dimitri and I alone.

"I'll let her down easy, and I'll still sleep in the guest room. I'll be the bad guy if I need to." He said, breaking me from my thoughts.

"What? Oh! No, I don't mind. I just froze because her question caught me by surprise. Well, that, and I wasn't sure how you would react. Our poor baby was terrified in the car, and I'd do anything to make her feel better. I hate that I'm the reason she was terrified, and could have been badly hurt."

"First, I don't want to push you into something that you are not ready for by having to share a bed with me-" he started, but I interrupted.

"You're not pushing me into anything. You aren't asking me to have sex. I'm not even sure that I could do that right now if I wanted to. We are simply sharing a bed with our daughter. I'm more than okay with that. Oh, and before you ask, yes, I'm sure that I'm okay with it."

He smiled at me. "Okay then."

"What else were you going to say?"

"Oh yeah. Second, the accident was not your fault. There was no way that you could have avoided the car that hit you."

"I'm glad my parents asked you to come to the hospital after they found out about the accident. It's only fair that-"

"Roza, your parents didn't tell me about the accident." Huh?

"Lissa?" I questioned.

"No, a girl named Sydney called me from your phone right after the accident happened." What?

"Who is Sydney? And how did she get my phone?"

"She was technically in the accident with you. Your car clipped hers after the other car hit you. She was barely banged up, so she was able to get out to see if you and Julia were okay. She called the police, and then called me after she found your phone. I called your father to tell him about the accident. Sydney rode in the ambulance with you and Julia, and she stayed with Julia while I sat with you before they took you to get x-rays done. Julia loved Sydney, and Sydney wants to meet you when you are feeling up to it."

"Oh." That's all I could say. My mind kind of went numb. Thankfully, Julia walked back in, all ready for bed.

"I'm ready for bed, Momma!"

"Okay, good. Go find you and me something to snack on while I get teady for bed."

She did just that. Dimitri took me upstairs, and helped me get into a large shirt that I used for sleeping in. I hoped he didn't recognize it. It was the one that I stole from him the night that we met. It's a lot older now, and kind of ragged, but it's the most comfortable sleep attire that I have. Unfortunately, luck wasn't on my side, because he did recognize it.

"This was mine. You stole it when you ran off." I shrugged, like it was no big deal.

"It smelled like you and I love the smell of your aftershave. After I found out that I was pregnant, I wore it every night."

He was quiet after that. After I had finished getting ready for bed, he helped me lay down. Julia walked in just then with a bag of cookies.

I sat up in bed, and Julia sat beside me. Dimitri sat on the other side of her. It was like we were a real family. We munched on the cookies until the bag was gone, then we all headed to bed.

My last conscious thought was that of Dimitri wrapping his arm around both Julia and I, pulling us closer to him. I realized something; I'm happy with him here.


	13. Chapter 13

_**Disclaimer : I do not own VA or any of the characters**_

_**this chapter is in a new POV. It's the first time that I've ever really written this POV, so I hope it lives up to your standards.**_

_**please review! **_

_**Enjoy! **_

**Janine POV**

After Abe mentioned that he had extensive research done on Dimitri, it clicked. In that moment, I knew that he was the reason that Julia's father had walked back into Rose's life, but how?

Rose never once uttered any useful information about who Julia's father could have been, not even to her best friend Lissa.

When Dimitri had offered to take Rose and Julia home, I was going to disagree. That is, until Lissa stated that she was okay with it. Silently, I reconsidered and thanked Lissa, because letting Dimitri take home Rose and Julia will give me the chance to find out what my husband knows.

Abe and I dropped Lissa off at her home, and the silence in the car became awkward. I wanted to wait until we got home to question him, and he knew that it was coming. The wait was making him nervous; if he has ever learned one thing about me, it was that if I am silent when I'm mad, it's only the calm before the storm. Although, I'm not sure if it is a good thing or not, Rose inherited this particular trait from me. Can you imagine what our house was like during Rose's teenage rebellious years? Once we got in the house, Abe started pleading.

"Janine..."

I ignored him for a bit longer. Not only did he go behind Rose's back to find Julia's father, but he kept it from me. He lied to me. I was not happy with him right now.

"Janine..." he tried again. I snapped.

"How long?" I asked. He looked confused, so I elaborated. "How long have you been looking for him? How long ago did you find him? How long have you known for sure that he was Julia's father? _How long have you been lying to me? To Rose?_" I sneered. He hung his head. I didn't expect him to answer. He knew better than to answer me when I was pissed. That's when he surprised me. He lifted his head after a very dramatic sigh, and he met my angry gaze.

"Two years."

"What?" My anger faltered, and my mouth hung agape.

"Well, I've been looking for him every since Rosemarie told us she was pregnant, but I had no luck until New Years Eve almost two years ago."

My mind flashed back to that night; I remembered it quite vividly. Rose had been going through a bit of a depressive time, so she wanted to drink in order to bring in the year. Rose and Lissa were both living with us still, so we decided to make it a family affair. We had a large dinner, and after Julia was put to bed, Rose drank. Technically, Abe, Lissa, and I drank too, but it was nothing compared to what Rose drank.

After Rose drank to the point that she couldn't really stand on her own, Abe took the liberty of taking her up to bedroom. I faintly recall Abe coming back down about half an hour later with a smile on his face. When I asked about it, he told me that he and Rose had just had a heartwarming conversation before he put her to bed. I left it alone, never really thinking about it again. At least not until now.

"The night that Rose tried to drink herself into oblivion." I said. He nodded as confirmation before he spoke.

"When I took her to bed that night, she started crying. When I asked her what was wrong, she told me that it wasn't fair to Julia to grow up without a father. I assured her that no one blamed her, and she let his name slip. When she showed no sign of recognition of our conversation the next day, I knew that I couldn't tell anyone. Rose had tried to keep it from us for so long, that she would have hated herself for telling me in her drunken state. I didn't want to drag you down with me if Rose ever found out what I was up to." He paused for a minute, and I didn't know what to think. After a moment, he started speaking again.

"I searched for him, but there was only so much I could do with only his first name. That's all Rose gave me. Honestly, I think that was all she knew. I gave up after about a year of looking. I had exhausted all of my sources, and I had no idea what to do next. I found him about 6 months ago by sheer luck. He came into the office, looking for a sponser for his gym." He paused, possibly gathering his thoughts.

"How did you know that it was him?" I asked, truly curious. I was no longer angry, just curious.

"I didn't at first. When he first showed up, I paid him no mind. I didn't really look at him, I just told him that I was not interested in sponsoring anyone right now. He left his card at my assistant's desk, and he showed up two more times in the same week. After his third visit, I got his card from my assistant, and I set up a meeting. Even after seeing his name on the card, it didn't click. Only during the meeting when I really looked at him did I realize who he could be. I looked at him, and I seen Julia." Abe paused again, taking my hands into his. Then he continued.

"I couldn't believe my luck. After that, I started researching everything about him. I just knew that he had to be Julia's father, but I had no proof. I set up a few more meetings, and I managed to get a sample of his DNA. Then I got Julia's and Rose's from the hair in their hair brushes. I sent it off for comparison, and I waited. It took three months to get the results, but once I got them back, I offered Belikov the partnership. I honestly liked what he had to offer, business wise, and it was the only way that I could innocently reintroduce him into Rose's life." He shrugged, as if it was no big deal.

"Abe, you should have told me. What are we going to do if Rose finds out?" I asked. He gave me a pointed look.

"You, my dear, are going to feign innocence." He said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, right. Like she will believe that. She is too perceptive for our own good." I scoffed. He sighed, defeated.

"I guess you are right. That's why I've kept this from you for so long. I couldn't risk anyone finding out just yet. I don't know just what I'm going to do, other than tell her the truth and hope for the best." He said. I noticed just then how tired my husband looked. I was as tired as he looked.

"Come on, Abe. Let's go to bed. It's late. We need to rest. We can dwell on this later."

He nodded, and we headed up to our room. I curled up beside my husband, and we both fell into a deep sleep, momentarily not worrying about whatever wrath from our daughter that the future may bring.

**_I am proud of this chapter, but I have to say that I need some time away from writing. I am taking a short hiatus (few weeks at the most). Feel free to contact me at any time, I will still be checking my account. Thank you for being such loyal readers._**


	14. Chapter 14

_**if you read my other story, you already know that I'm back from my break. Hiatus does not bode well for me. Anyway, here's the next chapter! **_

_**Disclaimer : I do not own VA or any of the characters**_

_**Please review! **_

_**Enjoy! **_

**Julia's POV**

I woke up squished between two bodies which I quickly discovered were my parents. I managed to wiggle out of their grasp on me, and got out of bed without waking either of them because I had to go potty. Momma would be so proud of me.

I used to have bad dreams where all of the kids in day care making fun of me because I didn't have a daddy. In those dreams, I would have an accident because I couldn't find a bathroom in time after the kids made fun of me. Usually, when I had an accident in my dream, I wet my bed in my sleep. I haven't had one of those dreams, or wet my bed since Daddy came back to me.

After I went potty, I walked back into Momma's room to lay back down. I crawled up on the bed, only to realize that my spot was taken. Daddy had his arms wrapped around Momma, and she was laying against his chest in my spot. I decided that I liked seeing them together like this, so I left them alone and went to my room to play with my toys.

**Rose POV**

When I woke up, there were two strong arms wrapped around me, preventing me from moving. I opened my eyes to see Dimitri still sleeping peacefully. I wondered how we ended up in the same bed and in this position. Then I remembered everything that happened yesterday: getting ready for the party, the accident, coming home from the hospital, and Julia asking for her daddy to sleep with us. Briefly, I wondered where Julia was and when she got up. I tried to move, but Dimitri's arms had me trapped.

"Dimitri." I tried. He stirred, but didn't wake up. "Dimitri, wake up." I tried again, this time nudging his chest. "Dimitri, wake up." Finally, he opened his eyes. When he realized our position, his eyes widened and he quickly let me go.

"I'm so sorry, Roza. I don't know-" he began.

"Stop apologizing. Just help me into the bathroom, and find out where Julia went. She's probably in her room." I told him, desperately trying to avoid an awkward conversation.

He helped me into the bathroom, and closed his eyes while I got my underwear down enough for me to sit on the toilet. After Dimitri helped me to the toilet, he went to check on Julia. I hate needing help, but what can I do since I can't stand? I can move both of my legs, but I can't put any pressure on them for fear that I permanently damage my knee or foot. I felt tears trying to escape my eyes, but I held them back, not wanting Dimitri to see me cry when he came back to help me again.

A few minutes later, he knocked on the bathroom door, asking if I was finished.i told him that I was after I managed to wiggle enough to pull up my underwear without standing. He walked in with his eyes closed, nearly tripping over everything in his path.

"Open your eyes, comrade. I'm decent." I said, trying not to giggle. He did.

"Do you want to get changed now or after breakfast?" He asked as he carried me out of the bathroom.

"I'll get dressed now. I don't want to have to trouble you in bringing me back up here later just to get changed." I told him, curling into his chest.

"Roza, it's no trouble. I'm here because I want to help you, even if that means I have to carry you up and down the stairs all day."

I buried my face in his chest, inhaling the wonderful scent of his aftershave. "Thank you."

He took me into my bedroom and I told him where to find clothes for me to wear. I'm stuck wearing my workout shorts and dresses because none of my pants will fit over my brace, at least not comfortably.

"Roza, there are no shorts in this drawer." Dimitri informed me as he searched my drawer.

"Damn it. All of my shorts are probably dirty. I was supposed to do laundry today. I guess I don't have any reason to keep telling Abe that I don't need that housekeeper that he wanted to hire for me anymore. Just grab me one of the sundresses from the closet." I complained.

I don't want a damn housekeeper. I don't want some chick coming into my house and snooping around while she calls herself cleaning. Dimitri said something to me, but I was too wrapped up in my thoughts about not wanting to have Abe hire a housekeeper to hear him. I only faintly recall him handing me clothes to change into. I started to change, not caring if he was watching me or not. It's not like the man hadn't seen me naked before.

"Roza, are you listening to me?" Dimitri's voice cut through my thought filled haze before I got my shirt pulled up enough to show my bare chest.

"Huh? No, sorry, I was thinking." I replied, finally coming to my senses. "Hand me that bra from my dresser, then turn around and talk. I'm listening now."

He handed my bra to me and turned around before speaking.

"I can do laundry and clean house since I'm staying here. You don't need a house keeper unless you want one."

"I can't ask you to do that. You are already having to tend to me. You shouldn't have to clean up after me and Julia too." I said as I got dressed as best as I could while sitting.

"Like I said before, it's no trouble. I have to do laundry and clean house at home, so it won't be any different than doing it here." He argued with his back still turned to me.

"But-" I started but was cut off by our beautiful daughter who bounced into the room happily.

"Momma! Daddy! Hurry up! I'm hungry!" She stopped to take in mine and Dimitri's position in the room. "Daddy, why is your back turned to Momma? Are you fighting?" I heard her voice shake and seen her lip quiver as she asked if we were fighting.

"No, baby. Daddy and I were not fighting. He had his back turned so that he wouldn't be watching me change clothes." I told her quickly, even though we had kind of been arguing. I didn't want her to cry because she thought we were mad at one another. I directed my attention to Dimitri. "I'm done changing now, by the way."

After I reassured Julia that Dimitri and I were not fighting, she perked back up, and turned to leave the room. She glanced back to us, and spoke.

"Please hurry up. If you don't come feed me, I'll have to make food all by myself." She threatened, and left the room.

Normally, Julia was a calm, patient, sweet child that would never threaten me or any adult for that matter, but when food was involved, she was more like me than normal. She could eat more than her weight in just one sitting, and if she didn't get to eat when she was hungry, she got cranky. She turned into a major brat, and according to my mother, I was the same way when I was her age. For that, I blame my parents. I got my mother's short tempered attitude and body type, but I got my father's appetite, looks (mostly anyway), and perceptive nature.

"We better go fix breakfast before she destroys the kitchen. She's a monster when she doesn't get fed when she is hungry." I chuckled. Dimitri picked me up and started towards the kitchen.

"Did you really let her threaten you?" He asked with concern.

"Are you questioning my parenting skills?" I asked in mock anger.

"No, Roza, not at all. It's just that she shouldn't be threatening you considering that she is only 5." He replied, still concerned.

"She only threatens when she is hungry, and doesn't get to eat. Apparently, I was just as bad, if not worse than her, when I was her age when it came to food. Other than that, she's almost always an angel. She's always so calm and patient. My mom and I think that she got that from you. Abe is convinced that she got it from him." I rambled on as we made it into the kitchen. Dimitri chuckled as he set me down in my wheelchair. Julia was patiently waiting at the table.

Determined not to be useless, I wheeled myself over to the fridge, and started getting out ingredients for breakfast.

"What are you doing, Roza?" Dimitri asked as he walked over to stand behind me.

"What does it look like? I'm going to cook breakfast." I replied with all seriousness.

"I can cook. You don't have to try to do it."

"No. I want to do it." I argued.

"Okay. I'll be at the table with Julia if you need help." He replied. I was thankful that he was letting me do this on my own.

After getting out eggs, milk, bacon, and bread, I got out all of the pans and utensils I would need. Thankfully, my counter was short, and my wheelchair was somewhat tall, so I could see over the counter just fine.

Cooking breakfast wasn't really difficult, it was just tiring. I've never had to do it while sitting down before, but now I have a new respect for people who are confined to wheelchairs for the rest of their lives. At some point, Dimitri and Julia traveled into the living room to eatch TV.

Everything was turning out just fine until I tried to reach for an extra plate from the cabinet. I misjudged where I was reaching, and knocked every one of my porcelain plates down in the floor. Each and every plate shattered. Everything from that point was a blur.

Dimitri came running into the kitchen, and started fussing around me, asking if I was hurt. Some of the bacon ended up burning, which set off the smoke alarm. I started crying because I was frustrated. Julia cut herself on a piece of broken plate while trying to get to me. The fire department showed up, and so did my parents.

All of this happened just because I was stubborn and wouldn't let Dimitri cook breakfast for me and Julia.


	15. Chapter 15

_**I am more than ecstatic about the fact that this story has reached over 200 reviews. However, I am sick right now. It sucks. Anyway, if this chapter seems a little bit off, it's because of the cough medicine that I am taking. I may or may not be a little bit loopy right now. **_

_**I love you guys, and I really appreciate all of the love that you give me every time that I upload a new chapter! **_

_**Disclaimer : I do not own VA or any of the characters **_

_**Please review! **_

_**Enjoy! **_

**Rose POV **

After the fire department left, my father finally lost his temper.

"Damn it, Belikov! What the hell happened? I thought you were supposed to be taking care of my girls! Instead, the house nearly greys burned down, Rose was crying, and Julia cut open her foot. I-"

"Oh, shut up, old man. It was my fault, not Dimitri's." I yelled at him. "Dimitri, take Julia upstairs, and get her foot cleaned up, please?" He silently did as I asked.

"Kiz, he shouldn't have let it happen, whether it was your fault or not." Abe argued.

"No. Dimitri was tending to Julia, because I told him that I was going to cook. I wouldn't let him help me. He is determined to do the house work that needs to be done around here, so I wanted to cook. After we argued, he finally let me cook." I explained.

"Why didn't you call for him to get the plates down instead of trying to reach them yourself?" My mom asked.

"I thought I could reach them without help. I could have if I hadn't reached the wrong way and knocked everything down." I admitted.

"I'm hiring you a house keeper." Abe said in his no nonsense voice.

"I don't want one. Dimitri already said he would do what I can't. If you hire one, I won't let her in the door. You will just have to pay her to sit on my front porch all day."

"I'll give her a key." Abe replied.

"I'll change the lock." I retorted.

"I'll change it back, and I'll win this argument little girl." He said.

I huffed, and tried my best to turn my wheelchair around to leave the room. It didn't really work because I was still surrounded by broken plates. So, instead, I just sat there, folded my arms across my chest, and refused to acknowledge my father any more.

"Kiz.." I ignored him. "Kiz, answer me." He tried again. "Your housekeeper will be here in a couple of days. Come see me whenever you are ready to talk." Then he left.

"Are you going to be okay, Rose?" My mother asked. We've never really been too close, but she has been trying to be a better mother since I've had Julia.

"Yes, mom, I'll be fine. I'm just frustrated that I have to ask for help. I can't even walk to the bathroom by myself. Before you ask, no, Dimitri doesn't see me naked. He just sits me on the toilet, and I wiggle out of my clothes on my own after he leaves."

I watched my mother's body sag in relief as I explain that I can still put on and take off my own clothes.

"I guess I should be going then. I'll try to talk to your father about the house keeper. I'm not making any promises though. We both know how stubborn he can be." She said.

"I know, but he won't win this one. I'll take Julia, and move in with Dimitri or Lissa before I let some nosy house keeper come in and invade my privacy." I told her.

"You don't have to do that, Rose. Ibrahim is just trying to help you."

"He can help if he wants, mom. I just don't want a damn house keeper." I spat.

"Like I said, I will see what I can do." She said as she wrapped me in a hug, and then she left.

A few minutes later, Dimitri and Julia came back downstairs. Julia was walking with a slight limp.

"Jay, why didn't you let your Daddy carry you back downstairs?" I asked.

"Because I wanted to be like you, and do it without help." Julia replied.

"Baby girl, I have to have help. I can't walk on my own yet." I tried to explain.

"But Mommy, you wanted to cook on your own." She pleaded. I pulled her into my lap, careful to help her avoid the broken plates surrounding my wheelchair.

"Mommy learned that sometimes you need to ask for help even if you don't want it." I paused to kiss her forehead. "Never be afraid to ask for help, okay baby girl? Daddy and I will always help you if we can."

"She's right, Julia. If you ever need help, all you have to do is ask. I will help you and your Momma any way that I can." Dimitri said, joining the conversation.

"Okay. I will ask for help if I need it instead of trying to do it by myself." Julia promised.

"Who wants to go out for breakfast?" Dimitri suddenly asks.

I can't help but smile at him, and Julia excitedly agrees. Dimitri cleans up the broken plates while Julia changes clothes since I am already dressed for the day. Shortly after that, we head out for breakfast, and afterwards, Dimitri takes us out for a day of fun.

We go to the park, and Dimitri helps me into a swing. It isn't much, but I'm able to swing myself without Dimitri's help. It feels good to be able to move my legs around without having to put pressure on them. As I swing, I watch Dimitri playing with our daughter. For a moment, I don't feel broken and helpless; I feel happy.

Julia's laughter rings out across the park as Dimitri lifts her high above his shoulders, and I can't help but wish I had a camera. This is how it should have been while Julia was growing up, and it might would have been if I hadn't screwed up. While watching Dimitri and Julia, I decided that I wouldn't dwell on my mistake any longer. Dimitri said that he was here to stay, and I just have to learn to accept that.

After we left the park, Dimitri took us out to lunch, and then to the movies. We watched some animated movie that Julia had been begging me to take her to see. I don't remember the name of it, but it was pretty good.

Once the movie was done, we went back home. I helped Julia with some homework that she hadn't finished while Dimitri did laundry, cleaned up, and cooked dinner. By the time dinner was done, we were all completely worn out from the long day that we had. Dimitri put Julia to bed, then carried me upstairs to help me to bed. While i was changing, he stood on the other side of the room with his back turned.

"I still want to meet your family, comrade." I said as I finished changing. "I'm dressed, by the way." He turned around to help me into the bed.

"I'd love nothing more than to introduce you and Julia to my family, Roza." He told me as he sat on the edge of my bed. "Do you want to wait until you can walk or do you want to meet them before then?"

"Will they like me less if I can't walk?" I knew the question was stupid, but I was suddenly self conscious about my inability to walk on my own.

"They will love you both whether you can walk or whether you are paralyzed from the neck down. Mama is anxious to meet you and Julia. She already loves you." He told me.

"Are you sure?" I asked, unconvinced.

"Absolutely." He assured me before he leaned up to kiss my forehead. "Sleep, Roza. I'll see you in the morning."

As he started to get up, and walk away, I grabbed his wrist.

"Stay with me." I blurted out.

"Are you sure?" Dimitri asked with uncertainty.

"Absolutely."

I fell asleep wrapped in the arms of my wonderful Russian boyfriend.


	16. Chapter 16

_**I intended to make this chapter a lot longer, but that just isn't going to happen. Last night, around midnight, I was having severe lower abdominal pain, so I went to the hospital. Turns out I have a cystic mass the size of my face just hanging out and growing on one of my ovaries. Well, I have to have surgery in a few hours, and it sucks. I may never be able to have babies after this. I'm really bummed about this. On top of that, I haven't eaten in 16 hours, (won't be able to eat until after surgery) and I'm HUNGRY. like Rose hungry. **_

_**anyway, I may not be posting for a while. I just don't know yet.**_

_**Disclaimer : I do not own VA or any of the recognizable characters **_

_**Please review! **_

_**Enjoy! **_

**Rose POV **

It's been two weeks since the incident where I nearly burned down my kitchen, and I'm still dependant on Dimitri to move around most of the time. I've been attending physical therapy three days a week to try to be able to walk again. I'm making slow process, but my doctor doesn't want me putting any pressure on either of my legs just yet.

Abe gave Dimitri, who is now officially my boyfriend, all of the time off that he would need to take care of me and Julia, but still sent over a house keeper several days after the incident. I locked her out when she refused to leave, and I still have not talked to my father. When he calls, I let Dimitri or Julia answer, just so that he knows I'm okay. I don't want him dropping by just to check on me because I'm not answering the phone.

The house keeper had been by every day and because I refuse to let her in, my father is literally paying her to sit on my porch for a few hours every day. I'm not sure if she is really just persistent, or if Abe is just paying her well enough that she doesn't care whether she has to clean my house or sit on my porch. God knows that he has enough money to pay her sit on my porch indefinitely if he wanted her to do so.

Anyway, today is the day that Julia and I are officially going to meet Dimitri's family. Dimitri's mother is holding a huge family lunch in honor of meeting her granddaughter and her son's girlfriend for the first time. I think that the only person more nervous than me might be Julia. Dimitri, on the other hand, is certain that his family will love us both.

'How could they love me when I kept his daughter from him for six years?' My guilty conscious whispered.

'It was a one night stand. I didn't know I was pregnant when I left. I had no way to contact him.' I argued with myself.

Wow. I sound like a basket case; arguing with myself is NOT normal. Then I argued with myself over whether I was crazy or not. Eventually, Dimitri walked in, and pulled me away from my mental argument with myself.

"Do you need help getting ready?" Dimitri asked.

"Not really. I just need you to grab my outfit from the closet since I'm not tall enough to reach it while I'm sitting." I told him.

I pointed to the dress that I wanted to wear, and dutifully, he grabbed it for me as I began to undress. Since he has to help me bathe and since we are dating, he no longer covers his eyes when I'm changing. He usually doesn't purposefully stare at me when I'm naked, but when he does, he looks at me with admiration and lust.

The first time that he seen me without a shirt on, I tried to cover myself. It's not that I was really embarrassed by my body; I mean, I have great boobs and my stomach is flat. No, the problem is that I have several ugly stretch marks from my pregnancy with Julia. My stretch marks were a reminder of the fact that I ran out on Dimitri, that Julia didn't have a father for the first 5 years of her life, that Dimitri will never get to be there for everything that I caused him to miss out on.

When I tried to hide them, Dimitri pulled my hands away. He told me that if I ever tried to 'hide my beautiful body' from him, that he'd be upset with me, because according to him, I am 'so beautiful that it hurts him'.

Whoever taught him how to make a woman feel beautiful deserves a metal because it seems like he flatters me in a new way every single day.

By the time that I got my pajamas off, Dimitri was handing me clean underwear and he laid my dress out on the bed beside me.

"If you need help, just yell for me. I need to go help Julia get dressed. She's been extra picky about what she wants to wear." He told me. I laughed as wiggled to get my panties pulled up.

"I'm not surprised. She's so worried that her new aunts and cousins won't like her." I replied as I snapped on my bra. "Have her bring an extra outfit to play in. I don't want her to mess up whatever fancy clothes that she is going to wear."

He nodded in response, and left to tend to our daughter. I slipped my dress over my head, and wiggled it down past my butt. Then, I pulled my wheelchair closer to the bed, and used my upper body strength to manuver my body into my chair. I have the process nearly perfected, and being able to move around on my own is more than worth the lectures that Dimitri gives me about not trying to overwork myself. Personally, I think he gets a kick out of me being completely dependent upon him.

After Julia finally got ready and Dimitri gave me another lecture about overworking myself, we finally headed out the door and were on the way to finally meet Dimitri's family.

**Julia's POV **

Daddy let me pick out my prettiest dress to wear today. He is taking me and Momma to meet his family. I'm really nervous, and I really want them to like me because they are my family too. Daddy told me that I have two cousins, a boy that is a few years older than me, and a girl that is my age. He also said that he has 3 sisters who are my aunts, and his Mama and his grandma.

I got ready while Daddy told Momma that she should be more careful. I can tell that he loves taking care of her, but Momma is stubborn, and doesn't like to ask for help. When Daddy tells Momma that she should ask for help more, I have to stop myself from giggling at them.

I am still kind of scared to ride in a car, but I am okay because I know that Momma and Daddy will protect me. The only time that I get upset is when my old favorite song is playing. It was the one that was playing when the accident happened, and it brings back bad memories. If it comes on the radio while we are driving, either Daddy or Momma is always quick to change it. I don't know if they know how much I love them both.

When we got to the house where we were going, Daddy helped Momma into her chair, and a lady that looked a lot like Daddy came running towards us.

"Dimka! Rose!" She said as she hugged them both. When she looked at me, I hid behind Daddy's leg. 'Who is this beautiful girl?" She asked as she reached for me.

"Vika, meet my daughter Julia." Daddy said as he picked me up. "Julia, this is your Auntie Vika. She's my youngest sister. Why don't you say hello."

"Hello Auntie Vika. My name is Julia Ceren Mazur Belikova." I announced. Momma and Daddy told me that I could add Belikova to my last name if I wanted to, so I started using it and learning how to spell it right away.

"Julia, are you going to introduce yourself with your full name to every person we meet today?" Momma asked me. I gave her a big grin.

"Maybe."


	17. Chapter 17

_**so, with this chapter, I gave it to several people who offered to beta for me to edit. I want to thank each and every one of you that helped me edit this. I told each of you that whoever got back to me first could edit it, well I didn't exactly expect you to all get back to me at the same time. Either way. Thank all of you that helped :) **_

_**I tried to make this longer but my mind just didn't agree with me. Anyway...**_

_**Disclaimer : I do not own VA or any of the recognizable characters **_

_**Please review! your reviews make me feel better :) **_

_**Enjoy! **_

**Rose POV**

I listened at Julia once again introduce herself to one of Dimitri's sisters by using her full name - which included Belikova. Dimitri had explained to me that even though his last name is Belikov, the feminine version of it is Belikova. When Julia had asked why her last name was Mazur like mine instead of Belikov like her Daddy's, I was more than happy to let her add his last name to her name. I felt like it was the least that I could do to let her feel closer to the father she had only recently come to have. Both Julia and Dimitri were ecstatic that I was okay with that.

When Julia finished greeting Sonya, she introduced herself to me. She was the last one of Dimitri's family, aside from his grandmother, that I had to meet. Everyone treated Julia and I like family. I was quick to realize that Dimitri's family enjoyed giving hugs; his mother, Olena, was especially fond of giving out hugs. It made me happy that Dimitri's family seemed to accept Julia and I so easily. As it turned out, Julia already knew both Paul and Zoya.

Zoya is in her kindergarten class, and had introduced Paul and Julia once they had become friends. Seeing them play together makes me wonder why Julia was ever worried that her cousins wouldn't like her. Olena's voice pulled me from my thoughts.

"Lunch is ready. Let's sit down and eat." Her Russian accent was thicker than Dimitri's - as was most of his family's - but it was comforting.

"Mama, where's babushka?" Dimitri asked as everyone gathered around the table. Dimitri helped me into a chair so that my wheelchair wouldn't be in the way.

"Oh, she's around here somewhere. You know that she'll show up when she's ready," Olena replied.

"Daddy, what is babushika?" Julia stage whispered to Dimitri.

"Babushka, not babushika. It means grandmother in Russian," Dimitri told her.

"Oh. Will you teach me Russian, Daddy?" Julia asked. Every adult in the Belikov family seemed to smile, but Dimitri's smile was the biggest of them all.

"Of course I will." Dimitri replied.

After that, lunch continued with all kinds of questions about me and Julia and Julia and I took turns answering them. When lunch was finished, Olena pulled me to the side.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," I replied, confused. "Wait. Why are you thanking me?"

"You've made my Dimka happy. He hasn't been this happy since he was a kid. I'm happy that he found you and Julia."

"Oh, well, I'm happy that he's happy. He makes me happy too. I didn't know if I'd ever see him again, but he just showed up. Julia accepted him as if he'd have been there her whole life," I admitted. Just then, an older woman joined us. Olena spoke as she did.

"Roza, this is my mother, Yeva. Mama, this is Dimitri's-"

"I know who she is, Olena. She's the mother of Dimka's child." She glared at me. "You were foolish. I hope you have grown up and learned from your mistakes. When you are worthy of my grandson, we will speak again," Yeva said and stormed off.

I sat there, unable to say a word, and stared after the old woman. Did she just tell me that I'm not worthy of Dimitri?

"I'm so sorry about my mother. She's not really people friendly until she gets to know you," Olena apologized. That shook me from my shocked state.

"It's fine, Olena," I lied. "Let's just go back and join the others."

She nodded and pushed me back into the living room where the others were at. I kept to myself unless I was spoken to until it was time to leave. I'm not sure if Dimitri noticed if anything was amiss, but Julia definitely noticed. At one point, she came to me, sat in my lap, and whispered to me.

"Whatever is wrong, Momma, it will be okay because I love you."

"I'll be okay, baby girl. I love you too." I hugged her and kissed her forehead. She went back to playing with her cousins as if our little exchange had never happened. I admired my daughter. She was such a wonderful little girl. I hoped that she'd always be as wonderful as she is now.

Soon after that, Dimitri, Julia, and I left the Belikov's house to head back home. Once Dimitri and I were home and Julia had went to her room to play, Dimitri confronted me about my mood.

"What's wrong, Roza?" He asked. When I didn't answer, he spoke again. "Please tell me what's wrong. Did someone in my family say something that upset you?"

I didn't answer verbally, but I nodded. Within moments, Dimitri had me wrapped in his arms.

"Who upset you?" He asked.

When I didn't answer or meet his gaze, he let out a frustrated sigh.

"Yeva." He muttered. I nodded.

"Mama and I asked her to be nice to you. What did she say?"

"She called me foolish and said that we would only talk again when I was worthy of you. She's right, Dimitri. I'm not worthy of you. You're...well, you're more than amazing, especially to me and Julia. If I hadn't run out on you; if I hadn't kept her from you-." Tears started running down my face, and Dimitri cut me off.

"Roza, you are the one that is amazing. You made one mistake by running out on me that morning, but you've made up for it. You've raised Julia and made her into the wonderful little girl that she is today, and when we met again, you let me be a part of your lives. That's more than I could ever ask for."

"Thank you Dimitri. You don't know how much what you just said means to me." I paused for a moment. "Dimitri, I...I love you."


	18. Chapter 18

_**Hey there! This chapter is short, but I'm just getting back into the groove of writing. Be patient, please :) **_

_**Disclaimer : I do not own VA or any of the recognizable characters **_

_**Please review! **_

_**Enjoy! **_

**Dimitri POV **

I woke up with my Roza wrapped in my arms. She was still sleeping peacefully, so I just laid there, enjoying the warm of the woman I love. Everything was nearly perfect now. If not for my grandmother's comments, everything would be perfect. After deciding that I would confront Yeva, I thought back to last night.

Rose had been upset when she told me what my grandmother had said to her, and I quickly countered her rambling with the truth. Even though she made one mistake by running out on me after our night together, she made it right by allowing me into her and Julia's life after we met again.

After that, she told me that she loved me.

**Flashback**

_"Dimitri, I...I love you."_

_I momentarily froze as I heard those words, but the fear of rejection that clearly showed in her eyes brought me back to reality. I smiled widely, and pulled her into a passionate kiss. She responded, matching my passion. _

_"I love you, too, my beautiful Roza." I admitted as we broke apart for air. Suddenly, she looked nervous. _

_"What's wrong, Roza?" I asked, confused. _

_"I was just wondering..." she paused, then continued. "I was wondering if we could..." she trailed off, but I understood. She wanted to reconnect, physically._

_"I'd love nothing more, but are you sure? You aren't exactly healed yet, and I don't want you to overwork yourself." I rambled._

_"Comrade, I'm not dying, I just can't walk. Everything else works perfectly fine." She replied. _

_"What about Julia?" I asked, still unsure of whether or not we should wait a bit longer. _

_"She's asleep." She countered._

_"What if she wakes up? Roza, if I remember correctly, we aren't exactly quiet lovers." I explained, recalling memories from our only night together. _

_"She could sleep through a hurricane, especially when she is exhausted as she was earlier." She replied as she pulled me in for a kiss. _

_What little self control I had snapped, and I gave in to the live of my life; the woman that I've waited six years to take back to bed. _

_We spent hours physically reconnecting and making love before we finally feel asleep in one another's embrace. _

**End of flashback**

Rose began to stir beside me, bringing me out of my thoughts.

"Good morning, my love." I said once she finally opened her eyes.

"Hmm, I want to wake up like this every morning." She replied, smiling.

"Me too. If I woke up beside you every morning for the rest of my life, I'd die a happy old man."

She giggled. "Have you checked on Julia, yet?"

"No, I didn't want to wake you up just yet. I haven't been awake very long though." I replied.

"Well, get up and go check on her. I don't want her coming in here considering our lack of clothing. I'm kind of surprised that she hasn't come in here yet." She slapped my chest playfully. I pulled her into a kiss that started to heat up quickly until Roza pulled away.

"Okay, I'm going." I said reluctantly.

After I untangled myself from Roza's grip and the sheets on our bed, I got up and pulled on some clothes. I quietly made my way down the hallway to Julia's room.

Silently, I opened the door and peaked in. I expected her to still be asleep or just quietly playing with her toys; what I didn't expect was to find an empty room. Julia wasn't in her bed or playing with her toys, so I thought that maybe she was in the bathroom or maybe the kitchen.

I quickly checked each room, confusion and panic arising with each room being as empty as her bedroom. I called the police, and made my way back to Roza, trying to keep the panic from my face.

"Roza?" I said as I opened the door.

"Yeah?"

"Julia's missing."


	19. Chapter 19

_**hello my lovely readers :)**_

_**It's been too long. I'm so very sorry for keeping you waiting, especially with the cliffhanger that I did. Here is a chapter that is entirely in Julia's POV. This gives you an idea of who has her and where she is. There is a question at the bottom that I want you to think about. anyway, on to the story. **_

**_Disclaimer : I do not own VA or any of the recognizable characters _**

**_Please review! _**

**_Enjoy! _**

**Julia POV **

I woke up to someone moving around in my room, but when I turned over to see who it was, the dim glow from my night light hid their face in the shadows. I could clearly tell, though, that it was a lady.

"Momma?" I asked quietly, wondering if this was a dream.

This lady was standing, and that's not something Momma can do right now. The lady turned around to face me, and I recognized her as the lady that Momma makes sit outside every day. Momma explained to me that Grandpa sends her every day, but since Momma is mad at Grandpa, she isn't allowed to come inside. Knowing that Grandpa trusts this lady to come over every day, I trusted her too.

"Hey there little girl." The lady said sweetly. "I didn't know you were awake."

I shook my head lightly. "I just woke up because I heard you."

"Do you know who I am, Julia?" She asked.

"Grandpa sends you over here every day, but because Momma is mad at Grandpa, Momma makes you stay outside." I told her.

"That's right, and your Grandpa sent me over tonight to pick you up. He wanted to take you and let you help him with a surprise that he had for your Momma and Daddy. How does that sound?"

I wanted to trust her because Grandpa did, but something felt wrong. My instincts were telling me not to trust her. Suddenly, I remembered something, and nodded at her so she wouldn't know that I had an idea.

"Yeah, but first I have to go potty and put on my favorite necklace." I replied. "I can't wait to see Grandpa! I haven't seen him in forever!" I exclaimed. The lady immediately looked annoyed.

"Julia, we have to be quiet. This is a surprise for Momma and Daddy, so we can't wake them up. Your Grandpa said he would be the one to wake them up."

That's when I knew something was wrong. Grandpa had always let me be the one to wake up Momma. He knew how much I liked to jump on the bed to wake her up. I hid my discomfort, and thought back to a conversation that I had with Grandpa a while ago.

_**Flashback**_

_"Julia, I have a surprise for you." Grandpa told me as he walked into the living room where I was at. I was instantly excited. I love surprises._

_"What is it, Grandpa?" I asked._

_"Here," was all he said as he handed me a small blue box that had a red ribbon tied around it and into a bow on top. "Open it."_

_I pulled one side of the ribbon, and watched the bow come undone before falling to the floor. I pulled the lid to the box open and gasped. Inside of the box was the most beautiful necklace that I'd ever seen. Momma had one just like it, except the piece in the middle of hers was red, while mine was blue. _

_Momma had told me that it was called a Nazar, and it was supposed to protect me against evil._

_"It's called a Nazar. I gave your Momma one almost identical to it while she was pregnant with you." Grandpa said as he pulled the Nazar from its box. "Turn around, and I'll put it on you."_

_"I know. Momma told me when I asked about hers. I'm glad mine is blue instead of red. Blue is my favorite color."_

_"Your Momma's necklace is red because that's her favorite color. Your necklace is blue for the same reason hers is red." Grandpa stopped talking as he finished putting on my necklace. He turned me back around to face him. "Julia, this is a very special necklace. I want you to always wear it. With this necklace, I'll always be able to find you."_

_"Is this necklace magical, Grandpa?" I asked seriously._

_He chuckled lightly. "Kind of. Your necklace and your Momma's necklace are connected to my computer. They can tell me where you are if you are ever in trouble." He paused and gently grabbed the pendant on my necklace to turn it over. "Do you see this tiny little area right here?" He asked, pointing to the smooth area on the back of the Nazar. I nodded._

_"This area is actually a button. It sends out a distress signal, letting me know that you are in trouble. Only press it in an emergency. Do you know how to tell if it is an emergency?"_

_I nodded. Momma and I had a long talk about how to tell if we were in an emergency or not._

_"Good. Only press that in an emergency. Then, I'll come find you and fix everything." He said as he dropped his hand. As soon as he did, I latched onto him in a hug._

_"Thank you, Grandpa. Thank you for always protecting me and Momma since I don't have a daddy to do it. I love you so much."_

_He hugged me back. "I love you, too, little girl. You, your Momma, and your Grandma mean the world to me, and I'll do whatever it takes to protect you girls."_

**_End of Flashback _**

I looked at the lady in front of me. She had short, blonde hair, brown eyes, and a scar from the side of her eye down to her chin.

"Okay. I'll be quiet. Just let me go potty and put on my necklace. Then we can go see Grandpa." I said quietly. The lady nodded.

I got out of bed, and went into the bathroom. I went directly to my jewelry box that Momma had bought me a few years ago. I guess she knew that I'd eventually need it. I quickly put on my Nazar, but decided against pushing the button yet. Even though I have a bad feeling, it's not an emergency yet. I went to the potty, and walked back into my room with the lady. She handed me a dress from my closet, and spoke.

"Get dressed. We don't want to show up in pajamas, do we?" She said in an overly sweet voice. I realized that I didn't like her.

I didn't reply, but I did as she asked. Soon, we were heading out the front door and getting in her car. I was still scared of getting hurt in the car, but I didn't let it show. I wanted to be strong. After several minutes of driving, we pulled up to a gas station. The lady turned around and looked at me.

"Do you want something to eat or drink?"

"Can I have some juice and a chocolate donut?" I asked, wondering if I had been wrong about this lady.

"Yes, you can as long as you stay in the car while I go in the store."

I nodded. She went in, and came out with everything that I asked for. I ate my donut and drank my juice. My juice had a weird taste, but I ignored it. Soon it was gone, and I was getting sleepy.

"I'm sleepy. Why aren't we at Grandpa's yet?" I asked, noticing that we had been riding longer than normal.

"Go to sleep, Julia. The surprise is a but farther than your Grandpa's house, so it's going to take a little longer to get there. I'll wake you up when we get there." She promised me just as I drifted off into darkness.

**_okay, so here is the question: who is "that lady" that picked up Julia? If it is who most of you are probably thinking, why hasn't she been recognized yet? She's been to the house ( almost every day , might I add ) where Rose and Dimitri have both been staying since the accident. Let me know your theories! :)_**


	20. Chapter 20

_**Disclaimer : I do not own VA or any of the recognizable characters **_

_**Please review! **_

_**Enjoy! **_

**Rose POV**

It's been 18 hours since Dimitri told me that Julia was missing, and I'm freaking out. I feel like a failure as a parent for not protecting her, and by the looks coming from Dimitri, I'm certain that he feels the same way.

The cops have combed through every inch of my house, but have found nothing. There was no sign of a break in anywhere in the house; every window and the front door was all closed and locked. Other than Julia, the only thing missing was her overnight bag, some clothes and her Nazar. The cops have suggested that she sinply ran away from home and questioned me like it was my fault.

I tried to attack one of them when they suggested as such, but Dimitri held me back. There's no possible way that she would have ran away. She was happy, especially now that she had both of her parents.

My parents are also here; Dimitri called them whenever he called the cops. My mother is the picture of perfect calm to anyone who doesn't know how to read her eyes. Her eyes show just how worried she is about her granddaughter.

On the other hand, Abe is throwing his money and reputation around in order to try to get things done. He's freaked out because even though Julia has her Nazar, it hasn't been activated so he can't track it. Because of this, we're all worried that something happened to her before she was able to activate her necklace. If we hadn't been so worried, we might have been proud of the fact that she knew something wasn't right in order for her to of taken it with her.

"Roza?" Dimitri spoke, pulling me from my thoughts. I looked up at him to let him know that I was listening.

"The detectives wants to talk to us. They're in the kitchen."

I told him okay, and he picked me up from where I was sitting in the bed to carry me downstairs. He carried me into the kitchen and sat me down in the chair across from the detectives. When I finally looked up at them, I immediately recognized them.

I went to high school with Eddie and Mason, but we lost contact after high school. I hadn't seen them since the night we graduated, and I'm pretty site that before today, neither one of then knew that I had a kid that I was pregnant with during the last few months if my senior year.

"Castile, Ashford. I didn't know you two goofballs were detectives." I said, trying to lighten the mood. Dimitri looked at me in confusion as he fixed a pot of coffee.

"It's good to see you, Rosie-" Mason started, and I glared at him for calling me Rosie.

"But we wish it had been under better circumstances." Eddie butted in.

"We didn't even know you had a kid." Mason continued, ignoring my glare.

"Yeah, what'd you do? Get pregnant right out of high school?" Eddie asked as Dimitri walked back over to us with two cups of coffee. He looked as interested in my answer as Eddie and Mason were.

"Actually, I got pregnant a few months before graduation." I replied, shrugging as I grabbed one of the steaming mugs from Dimitri.

"I was just barely showing at graduation, but the type of clothing I wore always helped to hide it." I admitted. "Before you ask, Lissa and my parents were the only ones who knew. Not even Dimitri knew. Part of the reason that I lost contact with almost all of my high school friends, you two included, was because I was scared and embarrassed. I was afraid you'd act the way that my parents did."

"How did your parents react?" Mason asked.

"Lots of yelling and disappointed glares. Their reactions made me hate myself for a long time, but I loved my baby." Talking to them felt like old times. I found myself wanting to tell them everything just like I used to be able to.

"So..." Mason turned to Dimitri. "When did you come into the picture 'cause I don't remember you, and from what I gathered, you're Julia's father." Dimitri glanced at me, no doubt wondering how to answer that question. I answered for him.

"He was a one night stand. Remember when I went to that party with Lissa after Jesse and I broke up because I wouldn't sleep with him?"

"Yeah, we remember. I kept telling Mase that there was something different with you after that party. He just figured that you finally got laid." Eddie commented.

"That's exactly what happened. Well, that, and I got knocked up." I said, glancing at Dimitri. He gave me a small smile. Now, Eddie turned to Dimitri.

"If you were a one night stand, when did you two get together?" Eddie asked.

"Not too long ago actually." Dimitri replied. He then went on to tell them how we met again, how I told him that Julia was his, the accident, him moving in, and everything else that has happened up until Julia's disappearance.

"Speaking of Julia, is there anything new? I'm sure that you two didn't call me down here just to chat." I said.

"Oh yeah, there was some hair samples found in Julia's room. We were able to get DNA from some of the blonde hairs, but there was nothing it matched to in the system." Mason started.

"We need to know if you have any blonde friends that we could test it against to find out if it belongs to our kidnapper or not." Eddie finished.

"Lissa is my only blonde friend. Let me just call-" I was cut off by a loud beeping from somewhere in the living room and my father's voice.

"I've got a location! Julia activated her necklace!"

**Julia's POV **

When I woke up, I realized that I was tied to a really uncomfortable chair. I couldn't move my hands or feet, and I knew I was in trouble. I just wish I was able to press the button on my necklace like Grandpa told me to do in an emergency.

Just then, I heard voices. I stayed quiet to listen, hoping I'd figure out what was going on. There was a guy's voice and a voice that sounded like the lady who took me from home.

"Aunt Tasha, you can't keep her here. This is wrong. I don't care who pissed you off. Kidnapping a little girl is not the answer." The guy yelled.

"I'll do as I please, Christian, and you won't stop me." The lady said and it was followed by a loud smack and the guy grunted.

"Whatever. If this goes south, I want nothing to do with it." The guy retorted.

It was quiet for a few minutes before there was a door slam. A few minutes later, a guy, who I assumed was Christian, walked in to the room where I was at.

"Oh, I didn't know you were awake. Are you okay? What's your name? I promise that I won't hurt you." He tried to assure me, and I noticed that one side of his face was covered in a hand print. Suddenly, I believed him.

"My name is Julia, and I think I believe you. I'm okay, but what about you? Are you okay?" I asked.

"I'm fine, Julia. I'm going to figure out a way to get you out of here." He stated.

"If you let my hands loose, I'll get free." I told him.

"I would, but I can't let you go yet. Tasha will be back very soon, and you won't get very far." He said. I could see how sad he was because he couldn't help me yet.

"Okay." I replied. "I have another idea."

"Oh yeah," he said. "What's that?"

"See my necklace?" I asked. He nodded. "There's a button on the back of it. Press it for me." I urged, hoping that I didn't trust the wrong person, and that he really wanted to help me.

He did exactly as I asked. He gently grabbed my necklace, and pressed the button on the back. I sighed in relief.

"Thank you. I'll make sure that my family is nice to you when they find me." I promised.

"Thank you for that, Julia. By the way, my name is Christian." He paused. "Now, I need to go back out there before Tasha shows up. Be careful, okay?" I nodded in reply.

_**So, to all of you who said Tasha, you were right. Have fun guessing her reasons for kidnapping Julia! **_


End file.
